Question

Select a global health issue affecting the international health community. Briefly describe the global health issue and its impact on the larger public health care systems (i.e., continents, regions, countries, states, and health departments). Discuss how health care delivery systems work collaboratively to address global health concerns and some of the stakeholders that work on these issues.

Resources within your text covering international/global health, and the websites in the topic materials, will assist you in answering this discussion question.

Answer 1

A global health issue impacting the international health community is obesity. In 2016, more than 1.9 million adults over the age of 18 were overweight, and 13% were obese, overweight and obesity is the cause of death for more people than people underweight, and obesity is highly preventable. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being overweight or obese (WHO, 2017). Obesity was once considered only prevalent among high-income countries, but now the epidemic is becoming an issue in low and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings. For example, in Africa, since 2000 the number of overweight children under 5 has nearly increased by 50% and in 2016, in Asia, about half of the children were overweight or obese. Worldwide, the rise was similar among both boys (19%) and girls (18%). Globally, obesity is linked to more deaths than underweight, except for parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Asia (WHO, 2018).

The prevention of obesity is vital for the safety and health of the public. There are no simple solutions, but according to the CDC (2015), state and local organizations, businesses and community leaders, policy makers, schools, childcare, healthcare professionals, and individuals must work together to create a healthy environment and promote a healthy lifestyle. In 2004, the World Health Assembly adopted the “WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health” that “calls upon stakeholders to take action at global, regional, and local levels to improve diets and physical activity patterns at the population level” (WHO, 2018). Some stakeholders include primary health care providers, the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC), early care and education school and afterschool programs. In September 2011, the Political Declaration of the High Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases was committed to advancing the World Health Assembly’s plan. They realized the importance of reducing unhealthy diets and physical inactivity (WHO, 2018).

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2015). Strategies to prevent obesity.

Retrieved April 4, 2019, from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/strategies/index.html       

World Health Organization (WHO). (2017, October 16). 10 facts on obesity.

Retrieved April 04, 2019, from http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/obesity/en/