8th session

Introduction to Public Health

Presented by
Kherailah Khodeda
2nd Class
1st semester
2023-2024

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 Public Health Enemy Number Two- and
Growing: Poor Diet and Physical
Inactivity
Health Risks of Obesity
• Cardiovascular diseases.
• Diabetes Mellitus.
• Some cancers.
• Arthritis.

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 Epidemiology of Obesity
• Prevalence of overweight and obesity have been increasing
since the 1960s in all ages and genders.
• In the U.S., 74.6% of men and 67.4% of women are
overweight or obese.
• Black women are more likely than white women to be
overweight or obese.
• White men are slightly more likely than black men to be
overweight or obese.
• Higher SES is associated with lower rates of overweight
and obesity, especially among women.
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 Measuring Health Risk
• BMI
o Calculated from height and weight.
o Overweight 25-29.9 BMI, Obese > 30 BMI.
• Waist-to- hip ratio.
o Distribution of fat on the body.
o Pear- shaped versus apple-shaped bodies.

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 BMI Calculation Formula

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 Waist-To-Hip Ratio

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 Waist-To-Hip Ratio

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 Overweight Among Children
• Prevalence of overweight among 2- to 19-years-
olds increased from under 10% in 1988-1994 to >
17.8% in 2013 -2016.
• High prevalence exists among black and Hispanic
youth.
• Type II diabetes is being diagnosed in children.

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 Diet and Nutrition
• Federal Dietary Guidelines For American.
o More fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat
milk and dairy products.
o Less refined grains, added sugar, salt, cholesterol,
saturated and trans fats.
o ChooseMyPlate.gov

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 Dietary Surveys by USDA
• Diet of about 75% of U.S. population falls short of
the federal recommendations.
• Vegetables are the most commonly omitted item.
• Intake of sweetened beverages has increased; intake
of milk has decreased (sweetened beverages account
for about 7% of daily calorie intake.

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 Promoting Healthy Eating
• Many social, cultural, and economic factors contribute to
dietary patterns.
• Learn from tobacco control success.
• Enhance self-efficacy and provide social support.
• Apply California’s “5-A-Day” Campaign for Better Health.
• Increase access to healthier food options (restaurants, schools,
worksites).
• Reduce less healthy foods in public venues.
o High calorie drinks and fast food in schools.
o Limit or tax sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and junk food.
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 What Can Be Learned from Tobacco
?Control Programs
• Provide more food labeling:
o For calories, fat, and sugar content.
o In advertising and on wrappers/ containers.
o 2018 law to post calorie counts on menus.
• Limit advertising of unhealthy options, especially
those aimed at children.
• Best hope is to focus on children, starting with
encouraging breast-feeding.
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 Physical Activity and Health

• Exercise promotes health, independent of weight control.

o Weight control works best when healthy eating is combined
with physical activity.
• Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated that people who
are more physically active live longer.
o Exercise helps to prevent heart diseases, high blood
pressure, harmful cholesterol levels, diabetes mellitus, and
some forms of cancer.
o Exercise clearly protects against cardiovascular diseases.
o Physical activity reduces colon and breast cancer risk.
o Type II diabetes is related to weight gain in adults.
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 ?How Much Exercise
• Children =60 minutes or more daily.
• Adults =150 to 300 minutes per week.
• Adults = muscle strengthening twice per week.
• More is better.
• Most American adults fail to meet guidelines.
• Lowers SES is associated with more inactivity.
• Children get less exercise as they get older.
• Obesity in children is correlated with time using TV,
computer, and video games.
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 Promoting Physical Activity
• Employ the ecological model, intervening at numerous levels
of influence.
• Remove environmental barriers and provide places to
exercise.
• Suburban lifestyle is to drive everywhere.
o Add sidewalks, walking traits, bike paths.
o Pedometers increase physical activity and reduce BMI and
blood pressure.
• Develop habits of exercise in children and adolescents.
o Physical education classes should focus on activities that can
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be practiced throughout one’s lifetime. 15
 Confronting the Obesity Epidemic
• Overweight and obesity could reverse public health
improvements achieved in the 20 th century.
• Life expectancy will decline due to obesity
• Overweight and obesity diseases account for 20.6%
of the U.S.’s total medical expenditures.
• Bariatric surgery helps obese people lose weight and
control diabetes (effectives diet pills could do the
same less drastically.

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 Weight Loss Drugs
• Fen-phen had to be removed from the market
because it caused heart valve problems and
pulmonary hypertension.
• Belviq works by activating a part of the brain that
controls hunger
• Qsymia is a combination of appetite suppressant and
a drug used to treat epilepsy and migraines.
• Orlistat works by inhibiting the absorption of
dietary fats.
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 Thank you

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