How Do Levels of Obesity in Wales and Mississippi Compare and How Are the Governments Addressing This Issue?

How do levels of obesity in Wales and Mississippi compare and how are the governments addressing this issue?

Introduction

Obesity is when a person has accumulated so much body fat and it’s a term used to describe someone who is very overweight that might have a negative effect on their health. There are many causes that contribute to obesity but the person’s behaviour, environment and genetics are the main contributors. Obesity is generally caused by consuming too many calories than what will actually be burned off through physical activity, these calories are usually found in fatty and sugary foods. The excess energy is then stored by the body as fat. There are many ways in which a person's health in relation to their weight can be classified, but the most widely used method is body mass index (BMI).

In addition to causing obvious physical changes, it can lead to a number of serious and potentially life-threatening conditions such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and some types of cancer. The welsh government has identified the need to address obesity levels as obesity will cause problems and strain on the health services such as the NHS.^[1]

I am extremely interested in this topic as it is a common issue that is not only affecting Wales but many other countries in the World. For my individual investigation I have chosen obesity in Wales because it is constantly being mentioned on TV, in newspapers and in schools, colleges and health clubs. It’s an interesting topic that is facing and affecting many people. It is an important issue in Wales at the moment and is on a rapid increase that remains one of the biggest challenges facing its population. It is one of the most serious health challenges of the early 21st century and this is why I feel it’s an important subject to discuss, it’s one of the most relevant problems in Wales this year. From my own knowledge, I know that Wales is the most overweight country in the UK and Mississippi is the most overweight state in the USA. Whilst doing the research, I’m interested in seeing similarities between them both if there are some.

From this investigation of obesity, I hope to find out what both Wales and Mississippi are doing about this quick developing problem. I would like to know how much obesity is costing their health services as well as the problems and diseases people are facing from the life changing and threatening condition.  

Aims

There is much more to discover about obesity and I think that it’s important to see if both Wales and Mississippi are doing something about the threat of it. I have a few aims to investigate of which should show a clear view of what is being done. I aim:

• To find the most recent and up to date rates of obesity for both Wales and Mississippi and also rates from ten years ago.
• To find out what both governments are doing about the rates of obesity in Wales and Mississippi.
• To uncover the key factors that are contributing to obesity in these places.

Objectives

To meet the aims I need to show what I will actually be researching in order to find the information that I want to find. My objectives are:

• To compare the rates of obesity in Wales and Mississippi.
• To compare obesity trends in the last ten years by age and gender using the correct date sources.
• To investigate views of professional opinions.
• To identify key aspects of the Welsh and Mississippian government.
• To compare the trends of obesity in both of these places.

Rationale

I intend to use both primary and secondary research methods such as marketing research reports, websites, newspaper articles and documents, government websites and statistic websites.  To involve primary research, I will also include a questionnaire of twenty random people from Pembrokeshire College. The questionnaire is to find out what people in Wales are eating.

Data sources

More than half of adults in Wales are overweight or obese, according to the latest Welsh Health Survey. From the survey, it was shown that only a third of adults reported eating five or more portions of fruit and vegetables the previous day and 29% of adults reported being physically active on five or more days in the past week. From this information, it is clear why so many are overweight or obese. From the survey I found that 58% of adults were classified as overweight, including 22% of them as obese.^[2] This makes Wales the most overweight country in the United Kingdom. Most of this statistic were female. Almost half of the welsh population eat take-away food at least once or even more a week. Comparing these figures to ten years ago in 2005,the percentage of those overweight was at 21% and 17% of that figure were classed as obese^[3]. It is said that by the year 2019, 85% of adults and children in Wales will be obese. The Millennium Cohort Study revealed there is a huge rise in the number of children who have weight problems from the ages of seven and 11.^[4]

Obesity has also become a threat in Mississippi as well as Wales and it is the most overweight state in America. The overall adult obese rate is at 35.1% and more than half of that statistic is female. From more research I have found that 17% of children are already diagnosed as obese.^[5]Nearly half of Mississippi children are overweight and children as young as eight years old are being treated for type two diabetes and high cholesterol. This was unheard of just a decade ago in 2005 when the overall obesity rate in Mississippi was at 28.1 percent.^[6]

The data I found from the articles, research reports and statistic websites are very reliable as the information was found from health surveys. I compared the information from different websites to make sure it was accurate. I however found it harder to find statistics for Mississippi as the obesity rate is constantly changing for both adults and children. I have mentioned that women are both said to be more overweight than men in both Wales and Mississippi but I couldn’t find any information for it this was the same result for children.

Opinion sources

Dr Roxanne Connelly, analysed the data from the Millennium Cohort Study. She said that researchers wanted to understand why children were becoming overweight at such a young age. “One of the key issues we now need to focus on is why there was such a sharp increase in overweight and obesity among the MCS children between ages 7 and 11,” she said. Public Health Wales said the figures represent a “stark reminder” of the health problems in Wales. There are concerns that children who are overweight or obese will face an increased risk of health problems, including asthma, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. “The number of UK children who were an unhealthy weight was significantly greater at age 11 than in previous MCS surveys,” said Dr Connelly. “The proportion of children who were obese or overweight rose from 25% at age seven to 35% by age 11.” Children’s weight was measured in the MCS surveys at ages three, five seven and 11. Overall, almost half (49%) of the Millennium children were classified as overweight or obese in at least one of the four surveys. At 11, boys in the MCS had reached an average height of 1.46m (4ft 9ins), while girls were slightly taller at 1.47m (4ft 10ins). Girls also weighed slightly more, with an average weight of 42kg (6st 9lbs) compared to 41kg (6st 6lbs) for boys.