Analyzing Health Determinants: Obesity as a National Priority Area

This essay addresses obesity as a significant national health priority in Australia, examining the influence of both modifiable and non-modifiable determinants of health. It begins by providing an overview of obesity in Australia, highlighting its increasing prevalence and the associated lifestyle and dietary factors. The essay then delves into modifiable determinants such as knowledge, skills, attitude, employment status, and socioeconomic background, explaining how these factors contribute to obesity rates, particularly among indigenous populations and lower socioeconomic strata. Furthermore, it discusses non-modifiable determinants, including genetics, age, gender, family values, and cultural influences, emphasizing their role in predisposing individuals and communities to obesity. The analysis extends to the future determinants of health, noting the potential for obesity to lead to cardiovascular diseases, renal diseases, diabetes, and reduced life expectancy, as well as the increased vulnerability of future generations. The essay concludes by reinforcing the urgent need to address obesity in Australia, given its widespread impact and the combined influence of modifiable and non-modifiable health determinants. Desklib offers a range of resources, including similar essays and solved assignments, to support students in their studies.

Running head: NATIONAL HEALTH PRIORITY
National health priority
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1NATIONAL HEALTH PRIORITY
Table of Contents
Introduction:....................................................................................................................................2
Brief overview of obesity:...............................................................................................................2
Impact of the modifiable determinants:...........................................................................................3
Impact of non-modifiable health determinants:...............................................................................4
Impact on future determinants of health:.........................................................................................4
Conclusion:......................................................................................................................................5
References:......................................................................................................................................6

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Introduction:
It has to be mentioned that obesity of one of the greatest health priorities in the present
day scenario. Considering the Australian demographics into consideration, it has to be mentioned
that obesity is easily considered as one of the epidemics (Huse et al. 2018). Modifiable health
determinants are the element that can be changed or can be controlled to some extent. The non-
modifiable determinants of health are the factors affecting the health of an individual which
cannot be changed or controlled. This assignment will attempt to discuss the impact of the
modifiable and non modifiable health determinants of the obesity condition of Australia and how
it can impact the future determinants of health in general.
Brief overview of obesity:
Obesity can be defined as one of the most impactful burdens on the health of the different
nations and along with that it has to be mentioned that for the Australia, the burden of the obesity
is extremely high. On a more elaborative note, it has to be mentioned that Australia has to be
accounted for as the nation with the third highest prevalence of overweight adults among the first
nation world. According to the recent Walls et al. (2012), it has to be mentioned that the recent
statistics state the obesity statistics from the year of 2003 has more than doubled in two decades
that has past. And even after the different national recommendations and programs that has been
followed, the obesity statistics of the nation has not improved in the even fractionally.
Considering the pathophysiology behind the disease, it has to be mentioned that the most
important factor is the lifestyle habits and dietary pattern of the population (Ogden et al. 2012).

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Impact of the modifiable determinants:
According to the Lee et al. (2013), the modifiable determinants of health are the external
and internal factors that can be altered or changed by the external forces pertinent to the scenario.
On a more elaborative note, the modifiable determinants include knowledge, skills, attitude,
peers, religion, employment status, educational status, socio-economic status. Demographics,
access to health care service mad technology. When considering the context of obesity, it has to
be mentioned that it is a health concern that is most generously developed due to the lifestyle
patterns and lack of literacy among the different target populations (Freeman et al. 2012). First
and foremost, it has to be mentioned that knowledge, attitude and skills are a very important
aspect of obesity. Sedentary lifestyle and bad dietary patterns can develop from lack of
knowledge regarding the impact of obesity and the personal attitude among the population
regarding healthy lifestyle, considering the indigenous populations, the sedentary lifestyle is
considered very normal and according to their personal values and attitude the modern means to
exercise is not very easily accepted. And as a result the obesity statistics are also extremely
higher at 30% in the indigenous populations. The employment status and economic background
can be considered as well in this context, the impact of unemployment and poor economic status
leads directly to poor and unhealthy living. The lower socioeconomic strata in Australia
constitute higher burden of obesity due to reduced health outcomes and junk based food habits
(Bogossian et al. 2012).
Impact of non-modifiable health determinants:
On the other hand, non-modifiable determinants of health are the internal predisposing
factors that affect the health status of a community or individual and cannot be changed or
modified by the external factors (Rhee, Phelan and McCaffery 2012). In this case, the

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determinants of health are genetics of the individual and the socio-cultural factors like family
values, media, and culture. According to the research genetics play a significant role in pre-
disposing the obesity patterns among different generations. It has been established that obesity is
a health condition that is concentrated within families based on the clustering heredity.
According to the research the disposition of obesity, adipose tissue distribution (40-55%) and
body fat or weight access (5-40%). Age and gender are another key non-modifiable determinant
of obesity, obesity generally increases with age and it is intricately linked with the genetic
predisposition of family. Considering the gender, Australian men have the biggest impact of
obesity over the age of 75 and women over the age of 6.-74. On the other hand, it has to be
mentioned that, the impact of family values and culture, the Australian culture is individualistic,
casual and indulgent at best. Hence, the casual and indulgent take to body weight is a significant
factors adding to the obesity burden in contrast to strict Confucian culture. The impact of family
values deteriorating obesity is most prominent in indigenous populations, 60% of the aboriginals
over the age of 35 are obese. The health literacy regarding the detrimental impact of obesity is
extremely low with aboriginals and hence with the lack of awareness contributed to higher
obesity (Ogden et al. 2012).
Impact on future determinants of health:
It has to be understood that obesity is a condition that opens the flood gates for various
other related non-communicable diseases like the cardiovascular diseases, renal diseases,
diabetes and associated co-occurring disorders. In case of Australian populations as well, close to
50% of the obese individuals have been reported as diabetic and cardiovascular risks among the
obese populations are also extremely high. With higher burden of obesity and other related
disorders, it might lead directly to impaired self care and reduced life expectancy. Along with

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that, it has been proved that the genetic predisposition when interacted with the environmental
risks such as energy intake and expenditure enhances the risk of the future generation being
vulnerable to obesity as well. Hence, the impact of higher burden of obesity in Australia can lead
to detrimental impact to future determinants of health in the nation as well (Walls et al. 2012).
Conclusion:
In Australian context, one among 4 children in Australia is overweight and along with
that it has to be mentioned that 2 among three individuals among the Australian adults have been
attributed to be obese. Hence undoubtedly, it has to be mentioned that obesity has been
accounted for a huge national health priority in the Australian context. As illustrated above, the
impact of modifiable and non-modifiable determinants of health have contributed significantly to
the burden of obesity in Australia. Hence, the progress of both modifiable and non-modifiable
determines the rise or fall in obesity statistics of the nation and the impact of the both kinds of
determinants can impact the future determinants of health in the nation.

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References:
Bogossian, F.E., Hepworth, J., Leong, G.M., Flaws, D.F., Gibbons, K.S., Benefer, C.A. and
Turner, C.T., 2012. A cross-sectional analysis of patterns of obesity in a cohort of working
nurses and midwives in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. International journal
of nursing studies, 49(6), pp.727-738.
Freeman, E., Fletcher, R., Collins, C.E., Morgan, P.J., Burrows, T. and Callister, R., 2012.
Preventing and treating childhood obesity: time to target fathers. International Journal of
Obesity, 36(1), p.12.
Huse, O., Hettiarachchi, J., Gearon, E., Nichols, M., Allender, S. and Peeters, A., 2018. Obesity
in Australia. Obesity research & clinical practice, 12(1), pp.29-39.
Lee, J., Song, J., Hootman, J.M., Semanik, P.A., Chang, R.W., Sharma, L., Van Horn, L.,
Bathon, J.M., Eaton, C.B., Hochberg, M.C. and Jackson, R., 2013. Obesity and other modifiable
factors for physical inactivity measured by accelerometer in adults with knee
osteoarthritis. Arthritis care & research, 65(1), pp.53-61.
Ogden, C.L., Carroll, M.D., Kit, B.K. and Flegal, K.M., 2012. Prevalence of obesity and trends
in body mass index among US children and adolescents, 1999-2010. Jama, 307(5), pp.483-490.
Rhee, K.E., Phelan, S. and McCaffery, J., 2012. Early determinants of obesity: genetic,
epigenetic, and in utero influences. International journal of pediatrics, 2012.
Swinburn, B. and Wood, A., 2013. Progress on obesity prevention over 20 years in Australia and
New Zealand. Obesity Reviews, 14(S2), pp.60-68.

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Walls, H.L., Magliano, D.J., Stevenson, C.E., Backholer, K., Mannan, H.R., Shaw, J.E. and
Peeters, A., 2012. Projected progression of the prevalence of obesity in Australia. Obesity, 20(4),
pp.872-878.