Question

A)   Nutrition and Hydration Case Scenario: A woman calls the health care practitioner’s office for a new patient appointment. She just turned 40 years old and states, “It’s about time I start taking better care of myself. I want a complete physical and some directions as to how to get healthier.” Upon arrival, the patient is measured as 5 ft 3 in tall. Her BMI is calculated to be 39.1. This classifies her as being obese, class II.

Please answer the following:

1.   What risk factors should the practitioner keep in mind while doing the physical assessment?

2. The practitioner should be assessing this patient for signs that she wants to make a change. Which areas should the practitioner explore throughout the physical assessment?

Answer 1

Answer 1: The patient has a moderate risk of obesity. Obesity has many other accessory diseases. There could high fat deposition in different parts of the patient body. Body fat is necessary to measure. BMI is not the actual measurement of the body fats that incorrectly estimate the risk. Cardiorespiratory fitness needs to be assessed. There is the risk of diabetes as well with the observation of obesity.  

Answer 2: The practitioner must examine the abdomen of the patient. Excessive deposition of fat occurs in the abdomen in case of obesity. The waist circumference must be measured. It has been known through many studies that the person having higher waist circumference have a higher risk of obesity.   There is a high chance of cardiovascular diseases, hence the heart should be checked. cholesterol and liver fats need to be checked. Increase in the fat in the liver occurs due to obesity. Diabetes and eye test is a must in such conditions.