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Community Education Planning: The Role of Nutrition and Exercise in Preventing and
Managing Obesity

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Community Education Planning: The Role of Nutrition and Exercise in Preventing and
Managing Obesity
According to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC)
2021), obesity is a prevalent and severe disease in the USA. This report notes that about 42.4
percent of Americans suffered from obesity in 2017-2018; this rate continues to rise. This
trend is worrying because obesity has multiple critical health effects; it can lead to
complications such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer. All
these complications can also result in premature death. Obesity in most patients is a lifestyle
disease, meaning it usually results from poor eating habits. Given this factor and obesity's
prevalence in the USA, community education is necessary to curb this disease. This report
will develop an action plan detailing nutrition's role in preventing obesity.
Inappropriate eating habits that lead to excessive weight gain and obesity
Poor diets or eating habits are amongst the most critical causes of excessive weight
gain leading to obesity. This factor relates to the principle of energy balance that depends on
energy intake and energy expenditure in the body (Smetanina et al., 2015). A high energy
intake without balancing the energy expenditure leads to the gradual accumulation of body
fat. Obesity does not happen drastically: it occurs over an extended period. The gradual
process depends on the accumulation of fat in the body. Therefore, eating excessive calories
without maintaining a healthy lifestyle will result in excessive weight gain and, ultimately,
obesity.
In addition to this, some eating habits predispose individuals to a higher risk of
developing obesity than others. For instance, some foods such as highly processed or fast
foods contain high levels of calories in fat and sugar. Smetanina et al. (2015) note that fast
and processed foods are becoming more common around the world, despite their health
effects. Eating too much of these foods often leads to an energy imbalance due to a high

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energy intake without an item of matching energy expenditure. This factor mostly affects
children and teenagers who have a higher intake of fast and processed foods. People who lead
sedentary lifestyles are also more vulnerable to developing obesity in this case.
Changing eating patterns to curb obesity
As indicated above, eating habits and other lifestyle aspects significantly influence
individuals' likelihood of developing obesity. Consequently, changing eating patterns is a
substantial way of curbing this disease. A substantial change in eating patterns that
individuals can adopt to prevent obesity is having a balanced diet (Alagrni, 2017). This report
notes that the conventional energy requirement is 800kcal/day. A balanced diet seeks to
provide a person with all the necessary macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) in
adequate amounts within the conventional energy requirement (Alagrni, 2017). Furthermore,
this eating pattern seeks to eliminate unhealthy foods or those that are more likely to cause
obesity, including fast foods and processed foods.
Implementation plan
This plan will involve four family friends and their children; the event will happen at
my house on January 23 and 24, 2021. Implementing this plan will require individuals to
learn about healthy foods for each macronutrient. Therefore, I will start by teaching different
foods for each macronutrient. I will then develop a schedule with five meals (breakfast,
lunch, dinner, and two snacks between these main meals). Each person will select foods from
each macronutrient category for the five meals. Everyone must also focus on healthy portions
to avoid overeating. I will use a material like flyers and a presentation board during these
processes. After finishing the selection part, I will prepare a balanced meal for the group as
an example to follow during the period.

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Individualized exercise programs to curb obesity
As indicated above, energy imbalance influences people's likelihood to develop
obesity. While food intake determines energy intake, energy expenditure mostly relies on
physical activity or exercise. People who have a sedentary lifestyle have lower energy
expenditures, leading to an energy imbalance. Thus, these persons are more likely to develop
obesity. Consequently, regular exercise should be an integral part of weight management
programs or strategies for limiting obesity (Petridou et al., 2019). Such exercise programs
should be personalized to suit each person's needs.
Implementation plan
Due to exercise programs' role in managing obesity, this plan to prevent obesity will
include these programs. Therefore, I will include exercise programs in the lesson I offer the
above group. I will explain how being active can burn excessive calories (energy
expenditure) to promote an energy balance in the body. I will then ask each person to select
the physical activities they will engage in during the period. Everyone should work out for at
least 30 minutes per day for five days weekly; however, children should select less intensive
exercises since they are active often. This process will also help to personalize the exercise
program. I will also use flyers and a presentation board during this explanation.
Recommended nursing intervention in these plans
The nursing interventions that this plan recommends in these plans are health teaching
and counseling. Health teaching is a process of communicating facts and skills to change a
family's, system's, or community's beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, or values. Health teaching is
essential in this plan because educating the selected group about the relationship between a
balanced diet and physical activity and obesity is necessary. Haghani et al. (2017) note that a
health education program develops the knowledge necessary to prevent lifestyle dise...