Obesity in Older Adults Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Obesity in Older Adults - Essay Example Introduction Obesity can be simply referred to a medical condition caused by excessive accumulation of body fat, which can eventually cause adverse effects on one’s health. To define, â€Å"obesity is an excess of body fat that frequently results in a significant impairment of health.† (Das, 2010, p.44). Although people use the terms obesity and overweight interchangeably, in fact, obesity and overweight are two distinct physical conditions which have already been clearly defined using scientific standards. Body Mass Index (BMI) is the common tool used to identify whether or not a person’s body fat is excessive. According to BMI standards, an individual is said to be overweight when his BMI lies between the ranges of 25-29.9. The person becomes obese when his BMI goes beyond the range 30. Evidently, obesity has become a major health issue among older adults. According to Villareal et al (as cited in Newman, 2009), the prevalence of obesity in people between the a ge range 50-69 increased by 56% in 2000 whereas in people above the age 70 it increased by 36%, since 1991. Causes of Obesity The relationship between energy consumption and expenditure is the major determinant of the body-fat mass. Medical practitioners opine that obesity occurs when an individual consumes more calories (in the form of food) than what he actually needs. People require calories not only to sustain life, but also to maintain a satisfactory body weight. However, studies point to the fact that energy expenditure in 50-65 year old age group considerably declines and therefore likelihood of obesity increases as one becomes old. It has also been identified that hormonal changes in older adults (65 years of age and older) during aging may result in excessive accumulation of fat. Various changes associated with aging, including resistance to leptin, contribute to older adulthood obesity. As Newman (2009) argues, genetic features, socio-environmental factors, and several oth er elements contribute to obesity. Evidently, heredity is one of the major determinants of obesity. In other words, biological inheritance plays a significant role in fat variations. The researchers like Bouchard established that genotype greatly influences visceral fat. Since an individual’s type of food choices, level of physical activity, and other lifestyle behaviors are influenced by his surrounding environment, socio-environmental factors greatly affect his body fat levels. To illustrate, increasing â€Å"eating out† food trends in Western countries directly lead to the consumption of excess fat content food and thereby obesity. While analyzing the global obesity data, it is obvious that obesity is more prevalent in Western countries, and especially in the United States. Several other factors including lack of sleep and continuous use of drugs also cause obesity. Some recent studies claim that issues such as joint pain and decreased mobility are also potential co ntributory factors to obesity as they cause decreased activity and thereby a proportionate decline in energy expenditure in older adults. Symptoms of Obesity As discussed earlier, a BMI of over 30 is the primary symptom of obesity. Large body frame is another notable symptom of obesity in older adults. Adults with obesity would face difficulties in doing their daily activities. In addition, breathlessness is another noticeable symptom

Small Business Management Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Small Business Management Evaluation - Essay Example Small business management entails precise analysis of how an entrepreneur provides the goods and services of his business in the market. It involves identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the business to be able to handle them in the production stage and ensure competitive advantage. An efficient management of a small enterprise requires an efficient marketing plan strategy that indicates the approach of the venture operation. The owner should establish the structures of the business that can effectively define the qualified professionals for the job. Operation of the small enterprise entails control of marketing strategies, sales, and advertising of the enterprise (Zimmerer & Scarborough, 2005, p. 12). Experts agree that marketing and sales represent the cornerstones of the starting business. Therefore, management of marketing sales is increasingly crucial for development and stability of the venture. In addition, the operation of a small enterprise requires various operation s kills, for instance, strong communication skills. Strong verbal and listening abilities are increasingly crucial in small enterprise. A sales manager must utilize proper words in an appropriate manner to pass the message accurately and clearly so as not to offend the clients. He must ensure effective customer care service to maintain customers for the productivity of the business. An employee motivation skill is crucial – the manager must device workers motivation strategies to ensure that workers operate towards attaining crucial successes. Time management skills enable the manager to operate under strict time schedules and ensure fixed deadlines are met in time (Pickle & Abrahamson, 2006). Conflict management skills – entrepreneurs should be wise and diplomatic to be able to mediate local disputes that occur regularly in the business. Mitigating the challenges as they appear enables the manager to prevent future challenges that may slow down or interrupt business ope rations. Negotiation skills, on the other hand, allow entrepreneurs to negotiate with clients and workers. Managing a small business needs a market target analysis because each enterprise has a target percentage of clients. Customer identification and target market identification is increasingly imperative to ensure a critical product campaign. In other words, promotion cost and the market campaign will be interrupted and expensive without customer and market identification, (Longenecker, Moore, & Petty, 2003, p. 23). Market identification eases the role of promotional plans creation. Quick financial investment is critical – economists agree that small business operators should keep a well-managed planned budget for marketplace campaign and adhere to that budget. Quick financial investment ensures various market mechanisms such as Television adverts and Banner adverts for the success of the venture.