Health Policy

Health Policy

Author Name(s), First M. Last, Omit Titles and Degrees

Health Policy

[Your Name]

[Address]

[City]

Date

[Name of Mayor]

[Address]

[City]

Dear Mayor,

I am writing this letter to you, to acknowledge you about a very serious and common health-related problem in our community. I live in the Bronx, NY. In recent years, it has been observed that, in my community, there have been many cases of people getting sick and being diagnosed with diabetes. Additionally, many people are getting obese. Obesity and diabetes are a major problem, not only in my community, but all around the world. I request you to consider my letter and bring out a solution or take certain measures to control the increase in obesity and diabetes cases.

Obesity is a state where an individual gets overweight and has a high body mass index that could badly affect their health. A Body Mass Index (BMI) is a tool used by doctors to access a person's weight according to their age, sex and height. If an individual has a high BMI, this develops several health conditions such as arthritis, high blood pressure, diabetes or certain types of cancer. The major causes of obesity includes excessive overeating along with physical inactivity. The body weight results of genetics, metabolism, environment, behavior, culture and many other aspects are involved. In the United States more than two-thirds of adults are obese. Additionally, one in three Americans is marked as overweight (Xu & Xue, 2016).

On the other hand, diabetes is a very common disease that occurs when blood glucose, which is also called blood sugar increases. Blood Glucose is a major source of energy and it comes from the food we consume. There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1 when our immune system fighting an infection, attacks and destroys the beta cells of the pancreas that produce insulin, and Type 2 is caused by genes, environmental factors or viruses. Excess diabetes severely damages the eyes, kidneys, nerves and other body parts that risk causing heart attacks and/or sexual problems (Care, 2006). Individuals can get this type of health condition due to mental health disorders. Stress, anxiety, depression, etc. could probably trigger them to stress eating, and excessive eating can increase blood sugar levels due to which the body starts producing fat, making an individual prone to diabetes. Junk food like burgers, pizzas or fries are unhygienic and unhealthy. Also, the number of kids who have diabetes is increasing, mainly because they are the highest in proportion to the total population, who consume unhealthy food. The oil used in making these burgers is very low in quality and the buns or dough is processed, the meat is not fresh, washed and cleaned properly. The processed food that people buy from departmental stores is high in calories. People should be aware of what they are eating, as well as, what is going in their systems.

I request the Mayor of NY to take certain measures, run campaigns to spread awareness and tell people about the consequences of their eating habits, run advertisements of health-related problems and how to prevent them by letting them know about healthy food items. In some states of America, junk food has been completely banned and fines are being charged on companies who are selling them illegally. Even countries other than the US have banned junk food, so I think that it should be banned in our state, as well (Fraser, 2013). Banning junk food will increase our life expectancy and keep our fellow citizens healthy. The government should make people aware by placing health camps, and organize classes for children on health-related topics. So that if they experience any of the symptoms such as increased thirst, along with urination or hunger, blurred vision and sores that do not heal and unexplained weight loss, then at least, they could seek medical help, as soon as possible. I hope you acknowledge my cause and take some measures for the sake of the protection of our future generations.

Yours Truly,

[Name]

References

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Obesity Definition, Charts, BMI, Causes, Treatment. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2019, from MedicineNet website: https://www.medicinenet.com/obesity_weight_loss/article.htm

Symptoms & Causes of Diabetes | NIDDK. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2019, from National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases website: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/symptoms-causes

Tsai, M. (2016, June 25). Eight Countries Taking Action Against Harmful Food Marketing. Retrieved December 9, 2019, from Food Tank website: https://foodtank.com/news/2016/06/eight-countries-taking-action-against-harmful-food-marketing/