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Andrew S. Harriman
The purpose of this paper is to address the increasing rate of obesity in adults in
Clearwater, Florida. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ([CDC],
2017), more than 72 million adults in the United States (U.S.) are obese and not a single state has
an obesity rate less than 15% which is the national goal. This paper will highlight the extent of
this health trend in Pinellas County, Florida, and propose a program to combat this rising trend.
The proposal laid out in the following pages will follow a peer reviewed, evidence-based
approach.
Background
Pinellas County, Florida is located in the middle of Floridas Gulf Coast and is made up
area differ greatly in age and socioeconomic status. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2016),
Pinellas County has the following demographics: 83% are Caucasian and 10.9% are African
American with Hispanics and Asians making up the remaining 6.1%. Clearwater is the county
seat and the second biggest city in Pinellas County with just over 114,000 full-time residents.
Approximately 72% of Clearwater is Caucasian while 16% are Hispanic and 12% are African
American.
Currently, 26% of adults in Pinellas County are considered obese and 22% are considered
physically inactive, yet 100% of the population is considered to have access to community
centers, gyms, trails and other areas for physical fitness (University of Wisconsin, 2017).
Target Population
Obesity is a far greater public health concern than most people realize. It can lead to
serious health complications including Metabolic Syndrome, Type II diabetes, cancer, heart
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disease, liver disease and respiratory issues (National Institutes of Health, 2017). Regular
physical activity and a well-balanced diet are important weapons in the fight against obesity.
A large portion of this demographic falls within the lowest bracket of the socioeconomic scale.
Many are also part of a large family which means a dollar must stretch even further than normal
in order to feed everyone. It is very difficult to provide a consistently healthy diet when one is
According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services ([HHS],
2017), the Healthy People 2020 (HP 2020) goal for nutrition and weight status is to Promote
health and reduce chronic disease risk through the consumption of healthful diets and
achievement and maintenance of healthy body weights. The HP 2020 guidelines provide several
objectives to help guide communities on how to best implement these changes. These objectives
include developing policies at the state level that would provide incentives to food retailers that
encourage healthy food options; increase the number of Americans who have access to healthy
foods and reducing the number of adults who are obese (HHS, 2017).
form the Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina Leadership Team (ESMMNC). The team
includes organizations from the public and private sectors, health organizations and others. The
purpose of the ESMMNC (2013) is to promote increased opportunities for healthy eating and
physical activity wherever people live, learn, earn, play and pray.
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This plan addresses six core behaviors to combat the high levels of obesity by
encouraging:
While not every core behavior listed will apply to every member of the community, this plan can
Plan Effectiveness
One of the objectives of the ESMMNC program was that by January 1st of 2017 there
will be no increase in the percentage of [NC] adults, youth and children who are classified as
overweight or obese. Two of these objectives were met. The percentage of youth, ages 10 to 17,
who were overweight or obese decreased from 33.7% in 2007 to 30.1% by December of 2012.
The percentage of youth, ages 10 to 17, who are overweight decreased from 19.9% to 13.0% in
the same time frame. While this is a step in the right direction, not only was there was no
improvement in the obesity levels in adults, they incidence of adult obesity actually increased
Implementation
Objectives
This program could be successfully adapted and implemented in Clearwater with the
cooperation of several agencies and departments. This would allow the fiscal, educational and
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burden.
weight and body-mass index (BMI) measurements for all participants when they enroll in this
free program. This measurement was not included in the ESMMNC version but would provide
crucial baseline numbers that would help track the overall effectiveness of the program. Overall
success will be determined by the number of people with BMIs that have dropped below the
obesity level.
Level of Prevention
This program will mainly focus on the secondary prevention of obesity (Anderson &
McFarlane, 2015). Those that fall into this category are already obese but have not yet developed
any complications such as hypertension, type II diabetes, etc. as a result of being obese.
Initiation of Intervention
In order to reach the highest number of people from the target population, this program
should be integrated into various places around the community. These places should include the
city-run parks and recreation facilities and state health department clinics. Funding can be shared
by city, county and state budgets. Funding can also be obtained from private sources similar to
the John Rex Endowment. This endowment helps to ensure that children in Wake County, North
Carolina receive the support they need to live happy, healthy and active lives. Employees from
the respective government agencies will attend an orientation where they will be trained on how
Method of Evaluation
Several pieces of data will be used to evaluate the progress of people who take part in this
program. Initial BMIs will be taken when the person enrolls in the program. Repeat BMI
measurements will be taken approximately every three weeks. Participants will also answer the
same short questionnaire every two weeks. This will include questions pertaining to the amount,
duration and intensity of physical activity over the previous two weeks and the amount and
frequency of fruit and vegetable intake over the same time period. These can all be used to help
establish whether the long term goal of decreasing the overall level of obesity in the community
Recommendations
habits in both the work place and schools (meetings, potlucks, barbecues, etc.) since healthy
choices and habits are rarely shared by the majority of attendees. A second recommendation was
to further expand their free fitness and yoga classes in throughout the community. These
Conclusion
Obesity is an ever growing health crisis in not only Clearwater but across the nation and
around the world. The health issues that stem from this preventable condition can be numerous
and far reaching. There is no silver bullet when it comes to reversing the alarming rise in
overall cases of obesity. Nonetheless, if more communities started to implement programs such
as this one, we could start to reverse this deadly trend and go on to lead long and healthy lives.
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Reference
Anderson, E.T., & McFarlane, J.M. (2015). Community as partner: Theory and practice in
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). Adult Obesity. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/AdultObesity/index.html
Eat Smart, Move More North Carolina Leadership Team. (2013). North Carolinas
National Institutes of Health. (2017). Overweight and obesity: Signs, symptoms, and
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/signs
Pinellas County Government. (n.d.). Municipalities/cities. Retrieved September 23, 2017, from
http://www.pinellascounty.org/Municipalities.htm
U.S. Census Bureau (2016). Quick Facts: Pinellas county, Florida. Retrieved September 22,
clearwatercityflorida,US/PST045216
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health
https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/nutrition-and-weight-status
University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (2017). Pinellas County snapshot. Retrieved
from http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/florida/2017/rankings/pinellas/county
/outcomes/overall/snapshot