NUR3101 Assessment: Obesity in Australia, Primary Health, and Nursing

This essay examines obesity as a significant public health issue in Australia, focusing on its impact on various population groups and its connection to chronic diseases. The essay analyzes the application of primary health care principles, as defined by the WHO, to address obesity, including disease prevention, health promotion, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care. It explores the social determinants of health and epidemiological factors contributing to obesity, highlighting disparities across socioeconomic and geographic regions. The essay also discusses nursing interventions for obesity management, such as lifestyle interventions and patient education. Furthermore, it aligns the issue of obesity with the key factors designated by WHO, starting with palliative care. The essay concludes by emphasizing the need for comprehensive strategies involving healthcare professionals, policymakers, and community members to reduce obesity rates and improve public health outcomes.

Running head: OBESITY IN AUSTRALIA
Obesity as Chronic Health issues in Australia
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1OBESITY IN AUSTRALIA
The normal increase in the weight or specifically obesity is one major risk for the
coronary heart disease, diabetes type 2, musculo-skeletal disorders and some leukemia. The
likelihood of creating these disorders is rising as the excessive weight rises. Furthermore,
being obese is capable of preventing chronic health problems from being monitored or
treated. Thus, obesity in Australia is considered as among one most common public health
issue and also the considered issue for this essay (www.aihw.gov.au, 2019). The bulk of an
individual's health needs are met during their lifespan by primary health care (PHC). It
involves focusing on physical, emotional, psychological and social well-being instead of
focusing on illnesses. PHC is a holistic strategy to health education, disease management,
therapy recovery and palliative care. Thus stating five key principles of primary health care
(PHC) are disease prevention, health promotion, rehabilitation, treatment and palliative care
(Who.int, 2019).
The key strategy that can be taken into account is School-based and community-based
obesity prevention. Education are a key focus for the elimination in obesity for older kids.
While some education-based approaches display mild to definite signs of increased physical
exercise and dietary habits, there has been little efficacy in preventive education in schools in
BMI reduction. A systematic review of 41 school research has identified that the key
influences are approaches with the integrated elements of food and physical activity as well
as a home dimension (Mja.com.au, 2019).
There are more probable to be unhealthy and poor diets in many nations that have
fewer resources, little schooling, unstable conditions of employment or bad lifestyle
standards, not engage in adequate regular exercise and have greater obesity and obesity-
related diseases. Obesity is identified as an index of body mass as 30 or more. Fat oxidation
is a challenging policy issue. This is determined by socioeconomic status and environmental,

2OBESITY IN AUSTRALIA
influences. Such influences lead to social inequity and diminish the quality of standards of
living and decision-making (Pescud et al., 2019).
Social determinants influence the state of health of an individual are very well
documented. There has been confirmation in Australia of a variation in the frequency of
overweight and obesity in finanicalsocial sectors. People in the weakest socioeconomic
environment (34% in 3 obesity groups combined) are more probable than people throughout
the largest socioeconomic zone to be obese (22% in 3 Obesity groups associated). Most
common body mass of individuals in the largest socio-economic area was 41 percent relative
to all of the other socio-economic areas; those who are in the poorest socio-economic area
have been less likely (32 percent). Overweight or obesity reached one-third (33%) of boys
between 2 and 17 years of age in the lowest socioeconomic area, compared to highest socio-
economic area with 22% of boys. In addition more than one third (38 percent) of girls aged
2–17 in the lowest socio-economic region were obese or overweight, compared to 24% in the
highest socio-economic zone (www.aihw.gov.au, 2018).
The region whereby an individual resides is one of the key factors related to
overweight and obesity. It covers their geographic isolation area and the Primary Health
Network (PHN) region. Adults living in cities and towns were the most likely in order to
have stable weight (37%) whereas inland-regional and exterior-regional / distant regions,
grown-ups were most probable (34% and 37%) to have obese body weight. Inland and
external regional / Isolated regionals, there have been more overweight and obese than in the
large cities with a growing percentage of people with even more hectic obesity rates (obese
grades II and III) (www.aihw.gov.au, 2018).
Considering children, boys aged between 2-17 years it was found that those living in
remote places show 1.3 times higher obesity rates in comparison to those staying in

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developed areas and cities (35 percent and 27 percent respectively). On the other hand it was
also evident that variation in overweight was also due to Primary Health Networks as well, as
53 percent in Northern Sydney to 73 percent in Country South Australia. Higher prevalence
of Primary Health Networks was their when compared among regional Primary Health
Networks with 69 percent and metro Primary Health Networks with 61 percent
(www.aihw.gov.au, 2018).
Aligning the issue with the key factors designated by WHO starts with palliative care.
All patients with such a severe disease may seek palliative care regardless of their maturity,
diagnosis, state of illness or preference of medication. It must be given in combination with
life-long or efficacious therapies, both early and throughout the disorder. In other terms,
people do not have any kind of their disease diagnosis and palliative treatment; both can be
obtained. Considering poor health care and death rates, rehab center and palliative care
remain underutilized by those with morbid obesity. The research analyzed the correlation
among growing BMI and hospice usage, deaths at home and expenditures for Medicare.
Research found that the rise in BMI was separate from decreased palliative care attendance,
lower nursing home duration, lower at-home mortality risk, and higher healthcare costs
(Care., 2019).
Disease prevention, health promotion and treatment for obesity is a necessary
requirement. Generally obese person are much prone to coronary artery blockage due to the
layering of cholesterol in the coronary artery hence prevention is a priority to lead a healthy
lifestyle. In addition health promotion by making up awareness camps and educating
individuals regarding impacts of obesity also impacts the thinking of individuals to carry on a
healthy lifestyle. Treatment either by physically by physical modes of burning calorie or by
intense operations by removal of fat under the adipose tissue can be done.

4OBESITY IN AUSTRALIA
Certain nursing interventions can be planned to take control of obesity such as
charting down a diet plan, regulation of daily exercise, motivating patient for physical
activities through interpersonal system of interaction can help in reducing obesity. Moreover,
maintaining a constant monitoring over the activities and also evaluating the outcomes are
among the primary duties when looking after a obese individual (Sargent, Forrest, & Parker,
2012).
Therefore the paper concludes that what could be the major risk factors for obesity
and why it prevails so much in different parts of Australia. It discusses and aligns 5 key
Principles of Primary Health Care as described in WHO and also shows impacts of those to
reduce obesity. Moreover, it discusses the Social Determinants of Health impacting the
obesity at different regions and also based on equity, social justice and socioeconomic
injustice. However, it describes the nursing interventions that can be taken as a part of play in
order to bring down the obesity level among the individuals.

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References
Care, A. L. (2019). 27 (7): e11-e14. doi: 10.25270/altc. 2019.05. 00073 Received November
2, 2018; accepted December 28, 2018. Published online May, 28.
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Pescud, M., Sargent, G., Kelly, P., & Friel, S. (2019). How does whole of government action
address inequities in obesity? A case study from Australia. International journal for
equity in health, 18(1), 8.
Sargent, G. M., Forrest, L. E., & Parker, R. M. (2012). Nurse delivered lifestyle interventions
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