Tackling Childhood Obesity - Essay Example

Tackling Childhood Obesity Introduction Childhood obesity is a pertinent issue that is on the rise. Obesity occurs when there is excessive adipose tissue in relation to the body mass. Extensive research is needed in this field, so as to elucidate the risk factors, complications and best method of management. The health objective identified in part I targets children with or at risk of obesity. There are epidemiologic surveillance and monitoring systems that have been setup with regards to childhood obesity. Various epidemiologic tools can be used in tackling childhood obesity. These include prevention tools, assessment and diagnosis tools, management and treatment tools and patient education tools. This paper explores childhood obesity, the role of the community in preventing the issue, economic factors and sources of funding and the role of social marketing in controlling childhood obesity. Target Population: Childhood Obesity Obesity and overweight in children are imperative public health problems encountered in the US health care setup. The figure of adolescents who are categorized as overweight has more than tripled since 1980 (Centre for Disease Control [CDC], 2009). The prevalence among the younger children has doubled. According to a NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Study), survey in 2002, 16 percent of children between 6-19 years were overweight (CDC, 2009). It is also noted that the heaviest child is significantly heavier than those in previous surveys. Obesity disproportionately affects the minority populations nationally. NHANES gathered that Mexican American and African American adolescents between the ages of 12-19 years were more likely to be overweight (23 and 21 percent respectively) (CDC, 2009). The non-Hispanic white adolescents were less likely to be overweight (14 percent). In children between the ages of 6-11 years, 22% of Mexican American children were overweight. 20% of the African American children were overweight, whereas the figure was 14% for non-Hispanic White children (CDC, 2009). In addition to the children who were overweight, another 15% were at a significant risk of becoming overweight. In a survey by NHANES of American Indian children between the ages of 5 to 18 years old, 40 percent were found to be obese or at a risk of being overweight (CDC, 2009). Overweight adolescent in the US have a 70% likelihood of becoming obese in adulthood. In Wisconsin, the statistics nearly equal those of the national survey. In the US, Wisconsin is ranked 16th highest in terms of obesity rates. One in four Wisconsin high school adolescents is obese or overweight. The NHANES noted that the prevalence of obesity was approximately 9.5% for those between 0-2 years of age. It was 9.0% for girls and 10.0% for boys of this age. The prevalence of obesity in those between 2 to 19 years of age was approximately 17% overall. It was 15.9% for girls and 17.8% for boys (CDC, 2009). By race, the prevalence of obesity is increased in Hispanics: 20.9% for 2-19 year old and 12.5% for 0-2 year old. They are then followed by non-Hispanics Blacks: 20.0% for 2-19 year old and 10.3% for 0-2 year old. They are then followed by non-Hispanics white: 15.3% for 2-19 year old and 8.7% for 0-2 year old (Wisconsin Department Health Services [WDHS], 2008). In Racine County, it is predicted that one in four high school student are obese. The obese youth and children are likely to suffer asthma, orthopedic problems and sleep apnea. Greater than a half of obese children have a risk factor for cardiovascular ailments. Of those who are obese at 3-4 years, 20-42% are likely to be obese as adults (WDHS, 2008). Community Based Response to Childhood Obesity Strengthening of the community capacity and mobilization of the community is an essential component of childhood obesity prevention efforts. There is increased awareness of communities across the nation with regards to the obesity epidemic. This awareness has been transformed into active efforts that counter obesity within the community level. These efforts include the improvement of community access to beverages and foods, which contribute to a healthier diet. They also include increased opportunities for physical activities on a regular basis (Bronfenbrenner, 1986). The community based response dwells on the fact that the community has numerous assets and resources, which can be mobilized in a manner that directly affects the health of children and adolescents. Community development and planning agencies determine the use of resources and the physical design of these resources. They design and build parks, paths and neighborhoods so as to make the environment more user-friendly. This has encouraged physical activities among children and adolescent. An example of this is the building of basketball courts. This improve the physical activity level of the community; therefore, preventing the deleterious consequences associated with inactivity (Bronfenbrenner, 1986). Community coalitions and faith-based organizations are increasingly addressing the community well-being. Community coalitions comprise of public and private sector organizations, in addition to individual citizens. These coalitions have resulted in synergistic effects on the collaborative efforts to curb obesity. Communities have also geared up to improve safety within the locality. Increased safety will enable more children and adolescent to walk around and cycle; therefore, improving their level of activity. This has seen the emphasis on “walk-to-school” efforts. Other efforts to address obesity comprise the community based participatory research. This is the activation of community members in influencing the implementation and evaluation of interventions and the dissemination of findings. Role of community and Institutional Leadership in Addressing Childhood Obesity Both institutional and community based leaders have an active role to play when it comes to addressing childhood obesity. So as to perform this, sustained and committed leadership is required. Leadership can be regarded as comprising investment of adequate resources and commitment to engage in childhood obesity prevention efforts. Organizational and individual leadership are required as a driving force in sustaining the efforts to curb childhood obesity. Community based leaders have a role in altering the obesity variables in the society (Bronfenbrenner, 1986). These leaders are better placed when it comes to understanding the society. Their role includes mobilizing the community in efforts to counter obesity. The institutional leadership roles serve to counter obesity at various institutions within the society. They institute changes at the institution level such as schools. It is imperative to note that both institutional and community based leaders have a collective role to play in addressing childhood obesity. The underperformance of one negates the actions of the other. Therefore, these two types of leaders should work together in implementing changes that will lead to better nutritional habits and increased levels of physical activities. Economic Factors and Funding Intervention Strategies Financing strategies can be classified into several categories. Decisions about the form of strategy to be adopted depend on the political, economic environment amongst other factors. The first financing strategy is making better use of the existing resources. Efforts to make better use of the available resources focus on streamlining and coordinating services (Rosenberger, Sneh, Phipps & Gurvitch, 2005). They strive to improve efficacy by creating greater economies of scale. Federal and state revenue can be maximized in funding programs that counter childhood obesity. These funds are used to support healthy lifestyles for children. Programs that seek to address childhood obesity should be coordinated. Uncoordinated programmes lead to wastage of resources; therefore, it is economical to coordinate (Rosenberger, Sneh, Phipps & Gurvitch, 2005). Another financing strategy that can address the subject matter is the development of partnerships amongst private and public. Such partnerships may involve non-profit organizations, charitable foundations, faith community, corporations and government. These partnerships can broaden the financial base support in addressing childhood obesity (Rosenberger, Sneh, Phipps & Gurvitch, 2005). Another source of funding in the community is the creation of new dedicated revenue streams. These generate funding for programs that address childhood obesity. The funds can be generated through fees, fundraising and unrelated business income. Alternately, the government can generate this through levies, trust funds and other taxes. Federal funding to obesity prevention programs include block grants, entitlements, project grants and cooperative agreements (Rosenberger, Sneh, Phipps & Gurvitch, 2005). The funds can then be used in promoting healthy lifestyles in terms of nutrition and physical activity. They can also be used in provision of nutrition and fitness education. The funds can be used in ensuring a safe environment. Role of Social Marketing in Addressing Childhood Obesity Social marketing is a practice that has increased levels of awareness in various public health issues. The parents and children can be reached with social marketing. This is targeted at changing social norms with regards to food choice and preference, healthy weight and social desirability of exercise. Childhood obesity risk factors can also be advocated against (Evans, 2008). Social marketing can target the family. It can encourage families to adopt protective behaviors. Positive parenteral role models can be depicted. Social marketing promotions can target individual parents and suggest changes in food choice (Hensrud, 2004). This will serve to create a healthy home environment. In the community, social marketing can be employed to enhance positive role modeling of residents, leaders and other organizations. Social marketing is highly instrumental in influencing health policies. Social marketing can alter the policy makers’ reference frame for social issues (Evans, 2008). This will contribute to policy and legislation that are geared on changing the environment. Such an approach can be integrated with behavioral change messages to consumers. Corporations can market foods that constitute healthy caloric intakes (Evans, 2008). This will improve the nutritional behavior of families; therefore, preventing overweight. It is worth noting that social marketing has been developed to counter commercial marketing and other social norms that promote unhealthy lifestyles. Social marketing provides the opportunity to prevent childhood obesity at the community, school and family level. Conclusion Childhood obesity is an increasing health concern. Various surveys show that the problem is increasing in magnitude and dimension. Communities have a role in curbing the problem. The community can gear up to provide physical activity centres, improve healthy eating habits and improve security. Institutional and community leaders have an important role to play in coordinating childhood obesity prevention programs. These programs need funding in order to function in an effective manner. The funding can come from various sources including non-profit organizations, charitable foundations, federal funding and personal donations. Programs can also be merged so as to cut on the cost. The money assists the programs in addressing healthy eating habits, promoting physical activity and promoting awareness of the subject matter. Social marketing has a significant role in the prevention of childhood obesity. It can serve to enlighten people on the healthy foods and modify their nutritional behavior in a positive way. Social marketing can promote physical activities. Social marketing is also imperative in influencing policy making and legislations that are relevant to childhood obesity. Reference List Evans, W. (2008). Social marketing and children’s media use. Future Child Media Technology, 18, 181–204.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overweight and obesity: Causes and Consequences. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web Site. December 17, 2009. Retrieved from www.cdc.gov/obesity/causes/index.html. Hensrud, D. (2004). Diet and obesity. Journal of Gastroenterology, 20, 119-124. Obesity, Nutrition and Physical Activity in Racine County. Wisconsin Department of Health Services (WDHS), 2008. Rosenberger, R., Sneh, Y., Phipps, T., & Gurvitch, R. (2005). A spatial analysis of linkages between health care expenditures, physical inactivity, obesity and recreation supply. Journal of Leisure Research, 37 (2), 216-235. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1986). Ecology of the family and community as a context for human development: Research perspectives. Developmental Psychology 22:723-42. Read More