Community Action Plan for Obesity in Wheat Ridge - Essay Example

? Community Action Plan for Obesity in Wheat Ridge, Colorado Introduction A healthy lifestyle ensures that an individual is fit and it improves people’s health. Many governments and non-governmental organizations are now strengthening their efforts towards promoting good health and healthy lifestyles. Varied diet, regular sleep and exercises are some of the components that make up a healthy lifestyle. Unhealthy lifestyles include drug abuse, alcoholism, and obesity among others. Due to the importance of promoting good health practices and healthy lifestyles, this paper presents a community action plan to prevent the prevalence of obesity in Wheat Ridge Colorado. Obesity is an epidemic that affects people not only in the US but worldwide. Nearly 59 million adults are obese and the percentage of children who are obese has doubled in the past twenty years. Obesity is a chronic disease that can result in serious health problems to its victims. Obesity among children in the US has serious health and social implication. These effects are all over including Wheat Ridge Colorado. Though a recent study ranked Colorado as lowest in obesity rate, there is still a problem. Obesity rate has doubled from 10.7 percent in 1995(Nathalia, 2012, p. 1). This increase in obesity rate in Colorado drives the motives of this paper. This community action plan therefore aims at reducing obesity rate in Wheat Ridge as a step to contribute to the overall obesity rate in Colorado. Symptoms Obesity is mainly due to one being overweight. Obesity among children and adults is on the rise in Colorado and all over the US. Children are taking more calories than before. They are eating many less healthy foods and drinking beverages that are more sugary. The problem becomes worse by the fact these children no longer walk or bike to school than it was several years ago. The situation is therefore very clear from this perspective. More sugar in the body plus less energy expenditure equal obesity especially in children. Many evidences suggest that obesity is mainly due to a combination of both genetics and environmental factors. People who eat food with many calories and reduce less energy through physical activity are more likely be overweight than other children. Obesity may have a variety of biological syndromes however; some degree of BMI is genetic. Obesity is mainly due to an increase in weight gain in excess of the expenditure(Trujillo, 2007, p. 3). Diagnosis The Colorado Children Campaign defines Obesity by the measurement of the “body mass index” (BMI). This is a measure of a person’s body weight in relation to the height. Diagnosis of this public health issues involves comparing the BMI values with standard references of the same measurements. According to the Colorado Children Campaign (CDC), children with BMIs above the 85th percentile are at risk of becoming obese. Those with BMIs over 95th percentile are already overweight. This diagnosis of obesity is from the 2000 CDC growth charts for US(Trujillo, 2007, p. 1). In 2005, about 29 percent of children in Colorado between the age of 2 and 14 were overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. During the same year, 53 percent of Colorado adults were overweight or obese. If this trend continues at the same rate, then by 2020, 76 percent of all the residents in Colorado will be obese. Obesity can result in many health problems for instance in Colorado obesity is associated with a third of premature deaths. Obesity is because of many factors which act together to cause the health problem. One of the biggest causes of overweight in kids is the increase in the consumption of beverages with high sugar content for instance the increase in consumption of soda among most kids. Increased access to fast foods is also contributing to the high levels of calories in obese people. Most of the kids today spent most of their time watching television instead of engaging in play and games. This reduces the amount of energy expend thereby making such kids susceptible to obesity. Cure The best cure to obesity is in developing an action plan with relevant strategies to reduce this lifestyle problem. Change in lifestyle trends from unhealthy to healthy ones can be a good step to curing and preventing obesity (The New Jersey Obesity Prevention Action Plan, 2006, P.22). For example, development of healthy feeding habits in the early lives of kids can be very essential in reducing the prevalence of obesity. To reduce obesity in Wheat Ridge, Colorado it will require a community action plan. Obesity-prevention action plan To reduce obesity in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, this paper present appropriate measure to adopt for reducing obesity. The action plan includes goals for the initiative as well as the respective strategies to achieve these goals. Health outcome objectives 1. To reduce death rate from heart disease by 10 percent by 2016 Health Indicator Objectives 1. By 2016, to increase the proportion of adults who are at a healthy weight by 10% 2. By 2016, to reduce the proportion of private and public school children who are obese by 10% Goal 1: to improve local capacity and support to address physical activity and healthy eating in Wheat Ridge Strategies Achieving this goal will require a string leadership in the city. This type of leadership is important for the initiative because it will help in developing. This new leadership will create a council made up of representatives from different agencies in the town and other stakeholders from other community-based organizations. This council will have an office for running the obesity prevention initiative. For such initiatives to succeed, it is equally important to involve the community. Local involvement is an important part of the obesity prevention initiative. The municipality and council can also establish collaboration with other stakeholders to coordinate and implement the objectives of the program. To implement the action plan, it is important to identify the source of funding. Through the council and its leaders, people and other organizations will have the opportunity to apply for grants that will facilitate the prevention of obesity in the town. The main office for managing the project will offer a venue for accessing healthy food options, and improved facilities for physical activity. The office will prepare progress reports showing the level of achievement of the objectives of the program. The action plan will promote collaborations and coalitions among the various stakeholders in the project. Also important to the program is the involvement of the government officials in the city for instance the mayor. Their involvement will in terms of the legislation concerning the program and providing other essential requirements for the program. Goal 2: developing a public awareness campaign on the prevention of obesity through healthy lifestyles and physical activity Strategies An awareness that runs across the whole town is central in supporting and enhancing obesity prevention in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. The launch of this campaign will be at a conference containing representatives of every person in the town. The conference is an important meeting point for people interested in preventing obesity especially among the children. The public campaign will involve the participation of various stakeholders in the initiative. Some of the most important activities in the campaign will include, developing a common message governing the entire campaign. The message will include a project logo that elaborates the importance of preventing obesity. The campaign also targets to lure support from local media, business organizations, community organizations and other important participants in the project. The campaign will use a web site specifically designed for the project to inform people about the project. The use of a website for the campaign against obesity is a strategic step towards the success of this action plan. The website will provide essential information concerning promoting healthy eating as well as other physical activities that will enhance the use of energy in the body. Through the websites, individuals can measure and at the same time track their own activities, food consumption, and other lifestyle trends. People will therefore be in a position to assess whether they are on the right track or not in terms of preventing obesity in their lives. This obesity prevention initiative will involve the expertise of professional especially from the healthcare industry. The use of health care systems in preventing and reducing obesity will provide reliable information on the prevention mechanism. One of the strategies for reducing obesity in which the expertise of the health professionals will be of relevance is in tracking body mass index values. Individual health professionals will carry out routine checks for the BMIs and discuss the results with respective patients. Goal 3: to mobilize schools to take steps and help families in raising healthier children and to increase the number of schools that view obesity as a public health issue Strategies This action plan recommends both public and private schools to engage in activities that involve healthy eating habits and physical activities for the students. According to the action plan teachers and other staff of these schools will participate in workshops, seminars, and conferences prepared by this action plan. This action will write papers and publications that will be available to students in both private and public schools. This policy goes further and recommends schools to be submitting regular reports to the Wheat Ridge health council concerning implementation of policies that relate to reduction of obesity in the city. According to the action plan, there will be annual screening of the students, which will include measurement of Body Mass Index and percentile score. This will help determine their susceptibility to obesity thereby allowing appropriate adjustments to reduce the health concern. Other recommendations within the action plan concentrate on including physical activity and healthy eating for the students in the entire school day. Goal 4: to increase support for promotion of healthy eating and physical activity within health care systems in Wheat Ridge Strategies Health care professionals play a central role in the prevention and reduction of obesity in this community. This is because they directly take part in the diagnosis and cure of the health problem. These specialists therefore require education on the etiology and physiology of obesity. This will help the health care professional s to recognize, treat and even prevent obesity among people. To accomplish this objective this action plan recommends an incorporation of relevant nutrition information into the curriculum of health science programs in colleges and universities. The health care professionals should act as role models in obesity prevention efforts and provide appropriate leadership regarding this area. The health care setting should provide support to obesity prevention programs. This is through providing incentives to hospital that at the front line in implementing the initiative. Support for the obesity reduction program may also be in the form of integrating health care systems and schools to promote healthy eating habits and physical activity among the population. This action plan recommends public education especially to the policy makers, which focuses on the health consequences of obesity. This will force the policy makers view obesity as a priority health concern therefore contribute tirelessly to its reduction and prevention. Prevention Due to the health risks due to obesity, it is prudent to develop appropriate methods to reduce obesity among children and adults. Prevention of obesity mainly involves making relevant changes to the lifestyles of people. This ranges from eating habits to regular exercises and the type of food we eat. It is important to change the environment for kids since most children lack control over their external environment. It is therefore the responsibility of adults to set a healthy environment for kids. Such an environment will ensure healthy lifestyles that prevent obesity. There should be a change in school meal programs to include meals that are healthy and are available at appropriate portions. Every person on the city should practice healthy lifestyles at their homes. This involves engaging in physical activity and eating foods that are low in the amounts of calories. Through such methods, the body will use the small amounts of energy available therefore reducing obesity(Trujillo, 2007, p. 7). Health services especially at schools can play a very important role in identifying and reducing obesity among children particularly. Prevention of obesity will require a task force that will bear the mandate or running initiatives that are set to reduce obesity in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. The task force will study, and develop recommendations and measures that support and enhance obesity reduction among residents of the city. The task force will base most of its actions on the action plan recommended by this paper. Outline of the action plan The action plan will promote environmental improvements that support physical activities in the area. These include development of bicycle and pedestrian paths, adequate sidewalks, bicycle lanes and racks, and community parks and playgrounds. Development of walkways will promote physical activity thereby increasing the amount of energy expend out of the body. The action plan will also promote development of new urbanism shopping centers as a way to promote healthy lifestyles in the area. This supports community policies that increase accessibility, and availability of healthy foods. Such foods are low in calories therefore reduce obesity. The major players in the action plan include: Mayor of Wheat Ridge Involvement of the government officials in the city for instance the mayor will help in terms of the legislation concerning the program and providing other essential requirements for the program. The mayor is the head of the municipality therefore will be central in the decision making process of the municipality concerning development of sidewalks and parks. Support from the mayor will enhance faster building of these facilities that will enhance physical activity among the people of the town. City manager The city manager in important in this project because of the role he plays in the management and maintenance of the facilities involved in the initiative such as the sidewalks, bicycle lanes and playing grounds. Wheat Ridge 2020 staff The Director of the Wheat Ridge 2020 staff will offer the leadership to his members who will help in creating awareness on the prevention of obesity in the city through healthy lifestyles. Director of Real Estate Development The director of real estate development may come in terms of building the food stores that supply healthy foods to city residents. The Real Estate Development may also offer their contribution in terms of funding for the project. Timeline for the action plan The Wheat Ridge Obesity prevention action plan will take a period of three years. The project will be in two phase. Phase 1 will take the first year of the project and will mainly involve campaigning against obesity and looking for funding from sponsors. The creation of awareness will be in schools, health care centers, and within the entire city. Phase 1 will be from June 2013 to June 2014 Phase 2 will mainly involve building and implementation. This is the phase where there will be the building of the sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and the playing grounds. Phase 2 will mainly be the implementation of the various aspects of the action plan. The second phase of the action plan will be from June 2014 to December 2016 Conclusion Obesity is a health concern that mainly results from poor lifestyles trends by people. The health problem is common worldwide and the trend is set to increase with time unless people take relevant measures to control it. One of the important steps to take in preventing obesity in society is a change in lifestyle. This includes eating healthy foods and engaging in physical activities to burn the calories in the body. Implementation of such steps in a city is difficult without the help of a comprehensive community action plan. This paper therefore presents community actions plan that can help in preventing the prevalence of obesity in Wheat Ridge city. Proper implementation of the action plan can prevent the rate of obesity in the town. Other cities or areas can also adopt this action plan for preventing obesity in their areas. References Nathalia, V. (2012). Colorado may be the least obese state, but we're getting fatter. (2006). The New Jersey Obesity Prevention Action Plan. Trujillo, T. (2007). Cildhood Obesity in Colorado: A Growing Problem. Denver: Colorado Children's Campaign. Read More