A dynamic systems approach to weight related health problems

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this article is to present a system dynamic model for studying the interconnections between human weight and health problems which cause various problems throughout life. Design/methodology/approach -The paper reviews key points about system thinking, its theories, and system dynamics. Models in the form of causal loops presenting the interconnections between weight factor and health problems are developed and discussed. Thereafter, a flow model of the problem is constructed and deaths caused by heart attack are studied under two situations of regular and taught cases. The paper identifies key health problems related to weight by using causal loops that demonstrate the whole picture of the situation. Findings -With the aid of systems thinking and dynamic modeling researchers can study the impacts of weight on the generation of various health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, blood sugar, knee problems and more. This study shows that teaching people about their health will have a significant impact on the number of deaths related to heart attack. Practical implications -With the model proposed here various studies can be carried out that relates weight to health issues. A sample situation is presented where deaths related to heart attack are simulated. Originality/value -This article makes a significant contribution to the health study issues due to the fact that it shows how a factor such as weight can impact on hearth attacks, blood pressure, and blood sugar, to mention a few. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first study that relates weight to health problems using systems thinking concepts and system dynamic and it therefore make a significant contribution to the health literature.

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