Basu Tanisha, Sehar Ujala, Selman Ashley, Reddy Arubala P, Reddy P Hemachandra
Department of Internal Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA.
Nutritional Sciences Department, College of Human Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA.
Healthcare (Basel). 2023 May 16;11(10):1442. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11101442.
Obesity is a chronic disease marked by the buildup of extra adipose tissue and a higher chance of developing concomitant illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and some malignancies. Over the past few decades, there has been a global increase in the prevalence of obesity, which now affects around one-third of the world's population. According to recent studies, a variety of factors, including genetics and biology as well as environmental, physiological, and psychosocial factors, may have a role in the development of obesity. The prevalence of obesity is often higher among Hispanic American groups than among White people in the U.S. Obesity is a widespread condition with a high risk of morbidity and death, and it is well-recognized that the prevalence of comorbidities rises with rising levels of obesity or body mass index. To combat the rising prevalence of obesity in the USA, especially among Hispanics, one of the fastest-growing racial/ethnic groups in the country, there is an urgent need for obesity therapies. The exact cause of this disparity is unclear, but some responsible factors are a lack of education, high unemployment rates, high levels of food insecurity, an unhealthy diet, inadequate access to physical activity resources, a lack of health insurance, and constricted access to culturally adequate healthcare. Additionally, managing obesity and giving needed/timely support to obese people is a difficult responsibility for medical professionals and their loved ones. The need for caregivers is increasing with the increased number of individuals with obesity, particularly Hispanics. Our article summarizes the status of obesity, focusing on Hispanic populations, and we also highlight specific factors that contribute to obesity, including genetics, epigenetics, biological, physiological, and psychosocial factors, medication and disease, environment, and socio-demographics. This article also reviews caregiver duties and challenges associated with caring for people with obesity.
肥胖是一种慢性疾病，其特征是额外脂肪组织的堆积以及患心脏病、糖尿病、高血压和某些恶性肿瘤等伴发疾病的几率更高。在过去几十年里，全球肥胖患病率呈上升趋势，目前约影响全球三分之一的人口。根据最近的研究，包括遗传和生物学以及环境、生理和心理社会因素在内的多种因素可能在肥胖的发生发展中起作用。在美国，西班牙裔群体中的肥胖患病率通常高于白人。肥胖是一种普遍存在的疾病，发病和死亡风险很高，而且人们普遍认识到，肥胖或体重指数水平越高，合并症的患病率就越高。为了应对美国肥胖患病率的上升，尤其是在该国增长最快的种族/族裔群体之一西班牙裔中，迫切需要肥胖治疗方法。这种差异的确切原因尚不清楚，但一些相关因素包括缺乏教育、高失业率、高粮食不安全水平、不健康饮食、缺乏体育活动资源、缺乏医疗保险以及获得符合文化需求的医疗保健的机会有限。此外，对医疗专业人员及其亲人来说，管理肥胖并为肥胖者提供所需/及时的支持是一项艰巨的任务。随着肥胖者数量的增加，尤其是西班牙裔肥胖者数量的增加，对护理人员的需求也在增加。我们的文章总结了肥胖的现状，重点关注西班牙裔人群，还强调了导致肥胖的具体因素，包括遗传、表观遗传、生物学、生理和心理社会因素、药物和疾病、环境以及社会人口统计学。本文还回顾了与照顾肥胖者相关的护理人员职责和挑战。
