Obesity in San Diego County; A Winnable Battle.
B. Community:
San Diego County is located in the south eastern corner of California and lies geographically north of the Mexican Border and south of Orange and Riverside County. (Appendix 1, Fig 1.) It covers an area greater than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined, measuring 4,525.52 square miles.("San Diego County," 2010) In addition to San Diego City, the county comprises of 18 incorporated cities. It is has 193 square miles that are home to 18 Native American reservations. While not the largest in population or in acreage, San Diego has most reservations of any county in the country. The county has many diverse and unique district areas, (Appendix 1, Fig 2) which range
One is classified by the medical community as obese when the BMI is greater than 30. Obesity has been shown to increase the risk and complications associated with other diseases and chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, cancer, reproductive problems and infertility. Obesity can also lead to mental and social difficulties such as depression, anxiety, social isolation, discrimination and bullying. In 2010 The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified that 34.6% of the nation was obese and that 147 billion dollars were spent on health care for obesity related conditions. These national refigures are reflected in San Diego County as the rates of obesity have triples since 1985. (Appendix 1. Figures 3) Along with poor nutritional intake, surveys reveal that many American lead very inactive lives; 40% of adults in the United States report that they do not engage in any physical activity pastimes or sports. Nationally 17% of children are categorized as obese and this number has tripled in the last 30 years. Children who are obese have a higher prevalence of asthma, joint problems, are more likely to have abnormal blood values such as high cholesterol and likely will develop in to obese adults with a 50% increased risk of onset of chronic diseases and mortality. Healthy People 2020 initiative has set national goals to reduce obesity in all age levels by 10%