The Prevalence and Incidence of Obesity among Young Children - Essay Example

Nutrition Need/Problem ment The prevalence and incidence of obesity among young children has grown significantly. This is demonstrated by research reports which articulate the doubling of obesity among young children between the years of 4 and 5. In addition, the incidence of obesity among kindergarten children has been established to be more than 33%. Since obesity affects both the physical and cognitive functioning, the increased prevalence among children is a significant problem and concern within the country. It is I this regard that a program that is aimed at reducing the incidence and prevalence of this condition among preschool children is justifiable. Project Plan The plan of the project includes identification of the needs of preschool children and their parents in relation to childhood obesity. Needs such as education requirements for parents on nutrition will be assessed during the program. The needs of children for improved health will be determined during the project through screening criteria. This includes determining the seriousness of the obesity condition among these children including the impact that it has had on their physical, emotional and cognitive well being. The assessment and determination of needs will be followed by a design and implementation of the most appropriate interventions for overcoming the problem. This includes the involvement of various stakeholders and the community in the project. Evaluation of the project in relation to effectiveness in achievement of the set goals and objectives will also be part of the project which will be culminated by reporting of the findings and recommendations to relevant authorities, partners and players. Expected Outcomes It is expected that at the end of the project, the society is aware of the proper nutritional measure that will help them to prevent childhood obesity among preschool children. More importantly, the objectives of the project and the set goals are expected to be achieved at the end of the project. This means that determination of the needs of preschool children should be identified and effective measures or interventions implemented for success of the project. In addition, the project is expected to result into the construction of a playground for the preschoolers in order to effectively meet their needs for physical exercise. In addition, training of teachers and parents on the management of the children in preventing obesity is one of the major expected outcomes of the project. In addition, the preschoolers are expected to have been involved in between moderate to strenuous physical activity as a way through which they would keep fit both physically and cognitively. Target Audience The target audience for the project includes parents, teachers and the preschoolers themselves. This is because the activities that will be conducted within the project aim at solving the problem of obesity among the children with the help of their parents and teachers. For example the playground which is one of the outcomes of the project aims at allowing the children to utilize it in physical exercise which will be a prerequisite for improved health and prevention of obesity among them. Moreover the training program will target the teachers and parents so that they would be equipped with adequate skills and knowledge in helping the young children to overcome their condition. Stakeholders/Partners The stakeholders of this project include the government, non-governmental organizations, health care systems, health care professionals, school administrators, teachers, parents, the community and the preschool children themselves. Each of these stakeholders will play important roles in promoting the achievement of the goals and objectives of the project. The government through its agencies at the local level will approve the project in addition to provision financial resources to support the project upon approval by the relevant authorities. The non-governmental organizations are also part of the donors of the program because of their role in providing financial and resource assistance for successful completion or execution of the project. Health care systems will provide the required equipment for screening the preschoolers in the process of identifying their health needs. In addition, the health care systems will present relevant and credible research data on the problem of obesity among preschool children to aid the process of drafting the preventive measures and interventions. The health care providers will provide careening services, health education and training the parents and teachers on how effectively they can prevent and manage the problem of obesity among the young children. Parents and teachers will engage the students in the prescribed activities such as physical exercise in order to prevent the incidence of obesity and manage cases of this condition through the required interventions. Community Involvement The community plays an important role in the management of health problems within the society because conditions such as obesity among children have ultimate negative implications on the society art large. It is therefore necessary that the community is involved in this project. The involvement of the community includes allowing the members of the society to volunteer in the achievement of various activities and processes of the project depending on the abilities and knowhow of the various members of the community. In addition the community will be involved in the training and educational programs so that they would be equipped with adequate knowledge of the problem of obesity and as a result motivate them to participate in curbing its incidence and prevalence in the society. Intervention Description The intervention of the project involves a design and construction of children playground. This is related to the needs for physical activity among children in order to prevent them from obesity. The playground will in addition to its role for physical exercise be used as a center within which emotional wee being of the preschool children will be enhanced. This will be achieved through the socialization processes that the preschoolers will experience at the playground with their colleagues and teachers. The activities that will be carried out within the playground will however be determined by the needs of the preschool children as determined and ascertained during the needs assessment process. The training program will be conducted for a period of two days and will be targeted at teachers and parents in addition to community members who will show interest for the program. The training will be done by qualified and certified health care providers who are among the partners or stakeholders of the programs. The training will involves the activities that the preschool children should be engaged in so that they would have an enhanced health status and prevented from obesity. Such activities include physical exercise at the playground and the socialization processes for cognitive and emotional well being. In addition the nutritional requirements for the preschoolers as a precaution for obesity will be part of the training program especially for the parents of these children. Evaluation The evaluation of the program will be conducted in line with its effectiveness in meeting its goals and objectives. In addition, the level of participation of the stakeholders of the project especially parents; teachers and the community will be among the relevant and important criteria for the evaluation of the program. In addition, the cost effectiveness of the program will be used to determine its effectiveness within the evaluation process. Furthermore the success in executing the interventions such as the design and construction of the playground and the attitudes of the preschool children in its use for overcoming their challenges will be used to determine its effectiveness. More significantly, the project will be evaluated in relation to the effectiveness of the management team for monitoring specific activities of the project and the timeliness within each of the activities within the project is achieved. Read More