Health Advocacy Activity - Essay Example

Whereas current average obesity rate is approximately 32% within the United States, New Jersey experiences a childhood obesity rate in excess of 39% (Gollust et al., 2013). This creates a systemic issue not only due to the fact that it is a precipitously higher level of obesity than the national average but due to the fact that such a high rate of childhood/adolescent obesity impacts negatively on the current and future health that these individuals can necessarily expect. As such, the purpose of this analysis will be to engage the listener with an understanding of the fact that action is required with regards to the epidemic of obesity; action that can ultimately help the current generation to enjoy a more healthy and active life than they might otherwise.

Recent scholarship has indicated that the situation regarding childhood obesity, in the United States, is reaching and alarming level. . These can include but are not limited to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and many others. Moreover, the issue with childhood obesity, as is oftentimes misunderstood, does not merely go away once the child reaches adulthood. Rather, further studies have indicated that an individual who suffers from childhood obesity is almost invariably going to suffer from adult obesity and likely developed at least one of the prior diseases which a been referenced earlier in this analysis.

From the information that has been presented, only the situation and the problem concerning obesity is evident. Yet, in order to present a solution to this particular problem, the reader must understand that action, both metaphorically speaking, and literally speaking, must be taken by society and the children in question. Ultimately, exercise plays a vital role in ensuring that children within society can maintain a healthy weight throughout adolescence and into adulthood (Shen-Yu et al., 2013) As such, I encourage and advocate that you and your administration takes a more active role in seeking to address this need both within the public education system as well as in other relevant outreach areas in which the government could seek to create a higher level of visibility for the issue of childhood obesity and the means through which it can be ameliorated.

In terms of the ways in which the government can seek to engage legislation to lessen the impacts of childhood obesity, it must be understood that public schools should offer healthful food alternatives for the standard school meals that are provided. Even though a great deal of improvement has been noted over the past several years,