Issue of Obesity in Primary Health Care (Australia vs. the U.S.A)

Running head: ISSUE OF OBESITY IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE 1
Issue of Obesity in Primary Health Care (Australia vs. the U.S.A)
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ISSUE OF OBESITY IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE 2
Key health care issue to compare and contrast between Australia and the U.S.A.
Excessive weight especially Obesity has been an issue of concern in both Australia and
the U.S.A. In healthcare, the condition is a significant risk factor for certain illnesses such as type
2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases as well as some types of cancers (Monash University, 2018).
Over the years Australia has employed some key strategies in its Primary Health Care policies
(PHC) to target a range of health issues and maintain the general health and wellbeing of the
population. Obesity has been one health issue of concern that the government and other
stakeholders are combating through various means. In the U.S.A, the obesity statistics have
shown that at least one in every three individuals is clinically obese (Allen, 2017). It is for this
reason that obesity is a crucial health issue of concern in primary health care in both nations. The
governments of both nations have developed a number of differences as well as similar key
strategies in trying to tackle the issue. Improving accessibility and reducing health inequality are
some of the options that are being considered by both nations to address the issue of overweight
and obesity among Indigenous people. This essay will examine the five (5) key principles of
PHC by the World Health Organization as well as the determinants of health, the
epidemiological factors of obesity and nurses’ role and responsibilities in obesity management.
Impact of the issue on health- Comparison between Australia and U.S.A
i) At a Community Level
According to statistics, one in every four Australian kids is obese making overweight child
management a concern especially at a community level (Leslie et al., 2015). As earlier pointed,
obesity is a risk factor for a number of serious illnesses, and it is often associated with chronic
diseases in many instances. For this reason, the government of Australia is concerned about

ISSUE OF OBESITY IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE 3
establishing ways through which the community can benefit in helping tackle the issue of obesity
(Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). At a community level, Obesity could have a
number of detrimental factors especially in children and could be a cause for high morbidity
rates if not taken care of. Some impacts would result due to obesity. First, the frequency through
which diseases such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cancers, stroke and many more appear in
the community would be high. This is because comparing people with obesity when compared to
those with a healthy or normal body weight, the ones with obesity are at a higher risk of
developing such severe health conditions (Kearns, Dee, Fitzgerald, Doherty & Perry, 2014).
Second, obese individuals, are associated with being lazy which is a proven biological factor and
could have a severe impact on the community. Having an overweight populace would
dramatically reduce the productivity of a given community which is not a good thing economic
wise for the country (Nichols et al., 2013). Since the impacts of obesity on health are the most
important for this paper, the government of both countries have developed strategies at a
community level to help Primary Health Care be at a capacity to handle the issue of obesity and
reduce its effects through the use of Primary Health Care policies developed by the World Health
Organization among other strategies at a population and global level.
ii) At a Population Level
Comparing the United States to Australia, the two countries have had one of the best
healthcare systems in the world. The two nations have endeavored in controlling the impacts of
obesity on health at a population level through various strategies that are essential for the growth
of the country as a country with many obese people does not have many productive individuals.
One of the critical impacts of obesity on health at a population level is the risk of chronic
illnesses (Djalalini, Qorbani, Peykar & Kelishadi, 2015). Obesity is likely to cause these type of