Childhood Obesity and Healthcare's Effects on Family and General Practice
By: Cory Ellerd
Submitted: 2010-05-17 12:57:32 | Word Count: 708
The area of expertise in the medical field known as Family Practice is one of the biggest and most crucial specialties in the realm of primary care. Next to Internist Medicine, it is the most prevalent domain for a variety of reasons. It is known for providing continual and wide-ranging care for not only the individual, the whole family. It includes the primary care needs of all age groups, sexes, areas on the body, and illnesses. In the United States there are 921,904 total physicians. Of those, over two thirds are male. The average Family physician earns between $110,000 and $204,000.
While there may be some variations in education, both M.D.'s and D.O.'s are just as qualified and able to become Family Medicine general practitioner. An Family Medicine doctor generally has at least 10-12 years of education including a B.A. (undergraduate) in a healthcare or science related area, a medical doctorate (graduate, Alleopathic or Osteopathic), and an accredited Family Medicine residency (post-graduate).
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Family Medicine physicians not only diagnose and treat illness, additionally they give preventive checkups and health-risk assessments, immunizations, screening tests, and healthy lifestyle counseling.
One growing and hazardous problem facing Americans and the medical community today is obesity. In the last 20 years, obesity rates in kids and adults both skyrocketed at a staggering rate, and physicians are gravely concerned. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), there are approximately 112,000 deaths per year that are attributed to conditions related to preventable obesity. Preventable obesity can be defined as obesity that could be prevented through diet, exercise, and appropriate health care.
Obesity rates in children are especially alarming. Obese children not only tend to grow up to be obese adults, they are also at a much higher and much earlier risk for damaging health effects such as diabetes, hypertension, and unhealthy levels of lipids and fats. The litany of adverse health effects from obesity is endless. There are a few factors and behaviors that put Americans at risk, such as eating out. Eating out usually means fast food with poor nutritional value or at a restaurant where nutritional information is unavailable. Even meals at home are becoming more processed, which means more sodium and fats. Socially acceptable increased food portion sizes have also grown. Technology and convenience are also contributing to a more sedentary lifestyle with less walking, biking, and physical activity.
Another issue facing Family Medicine physicians, as with other specialties, is aging. Up to 1/3rd of the current 921,904 practicing physicians will be considering retiring by the year 2020. A shortage of primary care physicians, such as Family Medicine physicians, is a particular concern due to this, and also the picking of younger physicians to choose to further specialize. The reason behind this is that further specialization beyond general care is needed for higher salaries to pay for their high-priced education. The scarcity is expected to hit rural and underserved locations the hardest.
Even with the health bill finally signed into law its effect on our health care is not known. By 2014 their will be an boost in the enrollment into health care insurance programs. This increase when, combined with the long term aging of the populace, should push demand for services and therefore cost higher. However, no one yet knows what will happen to reimbursement rates from Medicare and this new program. The question is will there be rate a cut of reimbursement rates for different specialties by Medicare and this new program that may conversely become a negative factor of the income of all disciplines, including Fam Med.
Clearly the Obama administration has its hands full. We are becoming older and there are a smaller quantity of young people to carry this rising financial burden. The Sins of the Fathers.....
