The social determinants of healthcare delivery service Essay

The social determinants of healthcare delivery service - Essay Example Social determinants of health can be regulated to improve the health conditions of countries. Through the adequate distribution of resources, the government can ensure that people have awareness about their health and have access to health care whenever they require it. Effective management and distribution of health care resources not only entails the treatment of a disease, but also its prevention. Preventing the occurrence of a disease can save a lot of resources not only financially, but also in terms of the staff, hospital resources and time that are spent on treating it. Obesity is becoming a serious health condition in the US and is starting to be referred to as an epidemic (Mechanic 112). Obesity is a global problem and more than 1.6 billion people all over the world are overweight. Of these figures, 300 million people are considered to be clinically obese, with a large proportion of overweight and obese people living in developed countries (Oxford Business Group 187). The obesity epidemic is at its very worst in the in the US (Plunkett). In the US, one person dies due to a health condition associated with obesity (Ayres). The US government spends $2 trillion annually on healthcare; about 76% of this sum is spent on the treatment and management of chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and strokes. All of these diseases are linked to obesity. In an article published by Why, an organization working for the elimination of hunger and poverty in the US, it was reported that two-thirds of the Americans are overweight, and one-third are obese (Ayres). The annual health care costs of obesity have doubled in the past ten years in the country. A recen t research conducted by the government documented that the costs of obesity are as much as $147 billion a year (Ayres). Moreover, it has been reported that the number of obese children have increased very rapidly and this has had profound impacts on their health. In fact, according