Health Advocacy Assignment 2022

Running head: HEALTH ADVOCACY 1
Health Advocacy
Name of Author
Institution of Affiliation
Date of Submission

HEALTH ADVOCACY 2
The food choices of an individual affect his/her health status. Proper nutrition is a
significant step in living a healthy life. Moreover, a person’s diet can assist in reaching and
maintaining a healthy weight, thus reducing his/her risk of experiencing chronic illnesses such as
cancer and heart sickness (Rytter et al., 2014). Furthermore, a good diet or nutrition will help in
promoting the individual’s overall health. In many countries, poor nutrition has significantly
impacted the obesity epidemic. Around a third of adults (33.8%) are obese, and roughly 17% of
adolescents and kids aged 2 to 19 years are obese. Even for a person with a fine weight, poor
nutrition is connected with serious health risks that can lead to sicknesses and even death. These
illnesses include high blood pressure, osteoporosis, heart disease, and type two diabetes (Field,
2014). Furthermore, poor nutrition can lead to various kinds of cancer. The risk factors for adult
chronic sicknesses such as type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure are increasingly viewed in
younger ages, in many cases, as a result of poor nutrition and increased weight gain. Therefore,
The United nation decided that one of the ways of improving the nutrition of people was by
implementing the zero-hunger program in sustainable development goals. The program was
designed to tackle hunger, which is the main reason for poor nutrition.
Even though globally, poverty levels have been reduced significantly, the SDGs in
regards to zero-hunger has not yet been able to tackle problems related to food security and
adequate nutrition. The sustainable development goals were not able to acknowledge and regard
food as a human right. Researches have suggested that both the government and markets secure
availability to adequate and nourishing food for every person (Rytter et al., 2014). Therefore,
only responsibility by the food suppliers and society regulators can desire to attain this security,
which signifies that availability to food requires to be regarded as a human right, and not just as
an aim or a result of a fruitful economy.

HEALTH ADVOCACY 3
As stated by the Food and Agriculture Organization, around a billion individuals
experience severe hunger, and approximately two billion persons are either under or over-
nourished. Kids are in great vulnerability to be casualties of nutritional insufficiency. Around
five million young persons pass away every year due to poor nutrition (Schwarzenberg &
Georgieff, 2018). Availability of enough and nutritious food at the first 1000 days of an
individual’s life is very key for healthy coming generations. Furthermore, out of the total
individuals experiencing hunger issues, 98% are based in developing countries. The major causes
of malnutrition and food security are related to inequity and poverty rather than shortages.
Additionally, the Food and Agriculture Organization stated that the current global production of
food is adequate to cater for the seven billion persons in the world, and even the approximated 9
to 10 billion population in the year 2050. Currently, Agricultural products produce an estimated
17% more calories per individual than the amount which was being produced 30 years ago. This
is despite the fact that the world population has increased by 70%.
Despite these circumstances, for the almost a billion individuals earning an average of 2
dollars per day (many of whom are located in rural areas where resource poverty-stricken
farmers cultivate small-scale plots of land) many are not able to purchase good food. Therefore,
in this instance, the main issue for the prevalence of malnutrition is the economic system.
Furthermore, cultural influences also affect food preparation and diet choices. Studies
have proven that beliefs and traditions are among the key factors affecting the way of food
preparation, preference, and nutritional status (Schwarzenberg & Georgieff, 2018).
Additionally, social class/ socioeconomic also affect the amount of nutrition an individual
gets. There are varieties in food decisions in various social ranks which may cause either under
or over nutrition. For instance, individuals within the upper social rank are more likely to have