Essay Sample on Obesity Among Adults and Children in the United Kingdom

Introduction

Obesity is a health condition where fat accumulates abnormally or excessively in adipose tissue. This condition is measured using body mass index, but sometimes the circumference of someone's waist is used to determine whether they are overweight or obese. The obesity cases among adults and children in the United Kingdom have increased. The truck drivers are however at the highest risk of becoming obese. The heavy goods truck drivers have the challenge of choosing healthy foods and others believe that healthy foods are expensive and inconvenient to get. The trade unions have the responsibility of sensitizing the truck drivers to maintain a healthy life by eating healthy food and exercising.

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The health of union members is very crucial as obesity is associated with diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. Approximately 28 per cent of the United Kingdom truck drivers are obese (PLC, 2012). Majority of the truck drivers are members of United Road Transport Union. This union was first registered in 1890, but its name was United Carters Association. It adopted its latest name in 1964 and is currently the only trade union specialized road haulage, distribution as well as in transport logistics ("United Road Transport Union: URTU," n.d.). The union members benefit from support from the union whenever they face bullying or any form of discrimination in the workplace. In this case, the union should address the issues of increasing cases of obesity among its members.

Due to the rising cases of different obesity groups are becoming concerned about the issue and establishing strategies that help the truck drivers to regain their health. Research carried out by Loughborough University suggests that physical exercise is critical in maintaining the health of the drivers (Loughborough University, 2017). The diet is also essential in the attainment of a healthy lifestyle. This sheds light on trade unions and helps them in coming up with strategies that can be used to intervene on the issue of obesity.

One way that trade unions can help in solving the issue of obesity among truck drivers is through coming up with flexible hours so that drivers can have to exercise (Loughborough University, 2017). The work schedule for these drivers is usually fixed so even those who would have loved to exercise they cannot do so. Even the few hours that they are free, they cannot engage in physical exercise due to fatigue. The trade unions should employ enough drivers so that they can work on shift. Using this strategy will ensure that all the drivers registered under the unions have sufficient time to rest and exercise. This way those who are willing to exercise but do not have time will undertake the physical exercise programs.

However, not all drivers will be willing to exercise, so there is a need for the trade unions to carry out educational programs. The programs should be geared towards helping the union members understand the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and how they can do so. The union should, however, be aware that not all the drivers will be willing to engage in these programs. They should therefore initially make the programs voluntary.

Those enrolled in the program can be given physical activity trucker so that they can evaluate the progress they are making in the journey of maintaining a healthy lifestyle (Loughborough University, 2017). Before this, they should be educated on various health issues and the activities that are effective in health promotion. The program will be carried out by both physical fitness trainers as well as nutritionists. The journey of physical fitness is not always easy so experts should be engaged in encouraging the participants not to give up.

Before enrolling in the exercise, participants should be thoroughly screened for blood pressure and cholesterol levels (Loughborough University, 2017). Additionally, data about the hours they sleep and the hours they are in the wheel per day should be collected. The sleep hours and work hours will be used in coming up with the schedule of the programs. The programs should be scheduled at the time when the participants are not on duty. The blood pressure and the cholesterol levels should be measured again after a few weeks of the program to analyze the impact.

Behavior is influenced by peers, family, and friends which means that if those engaged in the program are successful, then they will encourage their fellow drivers to enroll in the program. This means that this strategy can be useful if implemented by the trade unions. If drivers see that their colleagues who have undergone the program have successfully maintained a healthy lifestyle, they will be motivated to enroll also. This means that the unions will have effectively solved the issue of obesity. However, before implementing these strategies, the trade unions have to negotiate the work schedule with the employers.

Also, before implementing necessary measures that will be used to reduce the cases of overweight among the truck drivers the union has to carry out thorough research to establish the causes of obesity (Feldmann, & Hamm, 2015). Obesity does not only affect the health of the drivers but also their work. This is because a driver who is overweight might be medically disqualified. The driver's short term medical clearance can also be revoked which may subsequently lead to revocation of the Commercial Driver's license (CDL). This has an impact on the entire transport workforce because it will lead to a shortage of drivers who are physically fit to do the job.

To address this health problem and promote the health of the truck drivers different theories can be applied (Murcott, 2018). Unhealthy eating is a behavioral problem so it can be solved if the drivers and the trade unions understand the most effective approaches. Before dealing with the problem, it is essential to understand the significance of consumers' opinions towards their health. Also, to understand why they consume meals and how this behavior can be changed it will be critical to evaluate different levels of influence and undertake behavior change as a process, not as a single action.

All the parties involved in behavior change must be able to differentiate motivation and intention as well as intention versus action (Murcott, 2018). The process does not end at changing the behavior, but the proper behavior will need to be maintained. To change and sustain the appropriate behavior the theory that is most suited to the problem has to be identified and used. For any theory to bear fruits, the problem has to be correctly identified. Also, the goal has to be established, and those who are pioneering change identified and effectively addressed.

Behavior change theories are effective if they are evidence-based (Murcott, 2018). This means that they have been used previously and they were successful. It is also necessary to understand personal characteristics such as beliefs and attitudes that influence a person to adopt a particular behavior. Assessment of the influence of family, friends and peers should also be carried out. Society and community setups also influence behavior; hence the need to consider these factors when carrying out behavior change. Rules, regulations and policies also affect behavior hence the need to consider them when changing behavior.

The messages are important in health promotion so they should be coded in a way that trade unions will understand (Murcott, 2018). They must have an understanding of why there is a rise in the cases of obesity among truck drivers. Some of the theories that will be used to explain the effects on a message on behaviors are reasoned action theory and health belief model.

Studies have shown that obesity begins when people are still young kids when the kids get the appetite of consuming more foods that they need (World Health Organization 2016). The eating behaviors of obese kids are entirely different from the eating behavior of kids that are not obese. The drivers that are obese in most instances they began to be overweight while they were still young kids. Different factors make one to either have an appetite of consuming more foods while other people don't have the appetite of consuming the foods.

There are certain types of foods that are believed to make people obese; people are concerned about the choices that they make in considering whether they want to become overweight or not (Ogden, Carroll, Fryar, & Flegal, 2015). Young people are choosing when it comes to foods that they consume; therefore they choose that they make will determine how their bodies will respond. Young people love processed foods that are believed to make people obese. The developed world people are concerned about their health; hence people want to live a healthy life free from obesity.

Living a healthy lifestyle is achieved by consuming a healthy lifestyle which entails consuming the right diet and excessing regularly to keep the body fit (Hawkes et al., 2015). Truck drivers don't get the opportunity to do excesses; therefore when they consume obese causing foods and they still don't do excesses. Their bodies are unable to cope with the amounts of fats are consumed in the body. When the truck drivers change their careers to jobs that entail many activities including excessing the truck drivers are likely to become fit because they are active. When one becomes active, the body can breakdown the food consumed.

Body Mass Index is the measurement which is used to calculate if a person is an undelight, healthy weight, overweight, or obese. It is calculated by dividing the mass of a person in kilograms by his height in meters cubed (GBD 2015 Obesity Collaborators 2017). With many truck drivers spending most of their time seated with minimal body movement. This leads to an increase in their body weight as there is nobody exercise to increase the rate of burning calories. With a low rate of calories burn there is an increased accumulation of fat in the body this makes one either overweight or obese which is not good to one's health. There is a need for change in behavior and eating habits that will lead to weight loss among the truck drivers and help them maintain healthy body weight.

There have been ongoing campaigns to help the increased number of truck drivers that have been having health complications relating to overweight and obesity. This has led to need for increased awareness on how to prevent an excessive increase in body weight that is unhealthy, and how to reduce body weight for the overweight and the obese and also how to maintain healthy body weight. This can only be done giving them advice on the best foot to put in their diets and increased body activities that will increase the rate of calories burning in the body.

Reducing body weight and maintaining healthy body weight is not an easy task compared to gaining weight and considering the tight schedule by truck drivers there may be limited time and limited access to a healthy diet hence making their efforts fruitless. It will take the drivers more effort than any other people to manage to lose and maintain weight. Drivers should always give a try of having some morning run or evening when available. This reduces the fat concentration in the muscles and around the heart. What truck drivers should concentrate more on is keeping a healthy diet that will not increase their body weight. This might be the only solution because truck drivers have limited time.

A healthy diet can do magic when it comes to weight loss; proteins in the body increase the metabolic rate in the body which burns the calories in the body. Burning calories reduces the accumulation of fats in the body hence minimizes the weight of the person. Processed foods contain a high content of sugar,...