Obesity Epidemic

One of the most common lifestyle diseases that the health care sector continues to struggle with is obesity (Hope et al. 772). Obesity is a looming problem that governments are continually devoting increased attention to mitigating the epidemic. Organizations that value the health of their employees also invest in strategies that will lead to the proper management of the condition (Hemphill 4). Statistics indicate that at least a third of the world’s population is obese. About 2.1 billion people around the globe are associated with either obesity or being overweight (Murray).

The last few decades have seen cases of obesity in the world nearly triple, highlighting the need to combat the epidemic as soon as possible (Hope et al. 772). Among other disturbing facts regarding the prevalence of obesity is that millions of children under the age of five were obese in 2016 (Ritchie and Roser). Such statistical data calls for combined efforts to address obesity and to create awareness that the condition is entirely preventable.

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Some of the countries with the highest cases of obesity include the United States, Mexico, New Zealand, and Hungary (Ritchie and Roser). In the US, more than 35 percent of adults are obese. In addition, 17 percent of all children are living with the condition (Ritchie and Roser). The major causes of obesity in the abovementioned countries are physical inactivity and overeating. Equally, the high cases of obesity in these nations are triggered by the fact that the condition is also hereditary. Unfortunately, obesity is no limit to the developed nations only.

Today, cases of obesity are expected to rise steadily with the increase in the average income in both developed and developing countries. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that obesity may affect any individual irrespective of income, age, or gender. Therefore, as the employees continue to see their salaries increase, business organizations must become advocates for healthy living.

The United States has arguably the worst cases of obesity as a huge percentage of the population continues to suffer from cardiovascular diseases among other lifestyle conditions that result from being overweight. Furthermore, obesity in the US has brought about a significant increase in cases of cancer, stroke, diabetes Type 2, and so on. Equally, the rising cases of obesity continue to increase the already skyrocketing costs of healthcare. The rise in the cost of delivering health care influences the overall economy of the nation adversely. Moreover, the vast number of patients suffering from obesity become dependents and continue to strain the resources in their respective homes. Typically, patients with obesity are likely to spend more on medical expenses than those that are healthy. Therefore, one can conclude that obesity leads to the country incurring extra costs on healthcare. Since the condition is preventable it means that such costs could be avoided.

Proposed Intervention

This organization has some things that can do to manage the obesity problem. Firstly, it can encourage an active travel policy. The firm can offer its workers expenses that incentivize walking and cycling. To ensure that this program works, the company will provide the employees with secure parking locations for their bikes. They should also set aside facilitates that the workers can use to shower and to change after reporting to work. The second strategy limited theand andand company can adopt is fit offices with standing desks. The desks will encourage standing especially during meetings. The firm will also introduce walking meetings in the open air. To encourage participation in physical exercise, the company will also introduce signage to encourage more employees to choose stairs over the elevators.

The firm will create awareness regarding the dangers associated with consuming too much sugar and fats. They will do this by holding educational sessions and inviting health practitioners to speak to the workers regarding diseases such as kidney problems, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, musculoskeletal problems and facilities,    so on. They can also advise the workers to calculate their BMI constantly and to check on their weight. Calculating the BMI of all the employees before adopting the proposed intervention and then after a few months after implementing it can help determine whether the policies worked. The organization can provide the workers with diaries in which they can record the food that they eat and the times that they use the stairs instead of elevators. While such data can be overwhelming to the company, it will help to determine whether the policies and programs that are adopted in the firm are working.

Analysis

Some people or organizations may prefer to do nothing as opposed to finding ways to ameliorate the obesity problem facing the employees. The responsibility to remain healthy is reserved for the individual employees. However, there is much that the organization can do to address the problem. One thing that a manager should note is that having healthy employees ensures that they work optimally and that the productivity needs of the organization are met. Therefore, if the organization chooses not to act to solve the obesity problem, then there will be reduced productivity of the workers, posing a threat to the overall competitiveness of the firm. The economic challenges that the firm will face should it choose not to act outweigh the benefits. Still, solving the health problem requires the organization to invest in programs and introduce policies that might be costly to maintain. For example, when the firm installs gyms and allocates time that the employees can use to exercise, they will be forced to spend part of the profits to maintain such programs.

The political challenges that the firm will face if it takes on the problem involve objections from employees that feel that they decide to choose the lifestyle that they want to lead. Employees should be given the autonomy to make personal decisions regarding their health. If the organization takes it upon itself to make such sensitive choices on behalf of the workers, then there will be challenges to face. Telling people that they should not eat junk food because they will become fat may come across as fat shaming. Society is fiercely against attacking vulnerable groups. On the other hand, the cultural barriers that the organization is likely to face should it choose to address the obesity problem regard knowledge and the attitudes that people have toward certain foods and lifestyles. Normally, people eat unhealthy food because it is easy to prepare or it is cheap. They know that the food is not healthy, but they do not have enough money to eat healthily. Others enjoy eating junk food because it is more delicious than most healthy dishes. It is almost impossible for the company to change such attitudes.