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Community teaching work Plan Regarding Obesity Pamela Moore April Rucii Gilberta Santana Rizwana Sunesra Christine Waschke Grand Canon (Course)
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Obesity has been cited as one of the most prevalent health problems in the western world. It increases susceptibility to medical illnesses, reduced quality of life that is as a result of the limitations and restrictions brought about by it and premature death. This condition therefore places a huge economic burden on the health care system (Mauro, Taylor, Wharton, & Sharma, 2008).
Health care professional have for a long time been engaged in obesity education. In the process of education various barriers have come into play that affects their effective teaching on obesity. The first factor is culture. Culture has been termed as a people’s way of life comprising of people’s beliefs, values and norms. Culture affects consumption habits, people’s lifestyles and even access to information. Obesity educators in order to solve this barrier have to understand a community culture before they can propose any strategy to deal with obesity. A cultural assessment must be done to elicit beliefs, values, norms and language in order to design effective obesity education programs (Tripp-Reimer, Skemp, Choi, & Enslein, 2001). The second barrier is the content of the programs such that these provide too much detail on the pathophysiology and too little regarding the daily management of the illness. To solve this, educators must engage with the community in focus groups before initiating programs to address those areas of greatest concern (Tripp-Reimer, Skemp, Choi, & Enslein, 2001). Third is learning styles such that different communities and people require different learning styles. Some cultures have a strong oral tradition and therefore patient education should be centered on metaphors, storytelling etc. to convey health messages (Tripp-Reimer, Skemp, Choi, & Enslein, 2001).
Obesity can be prevented with through the use of effective strategies. The best approach or strategies that can be used in the prevention of obesity are the primary prevention strategies. These aim at addressing the root cause of the problem, reducing the likelihood of development of a disease or disorder. Disease prevention aims at reducing the likelihood that a disease will affect a community or individual, interrupting or slowing its progress or the reduction of disability (Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh, & Merchant, 2005).
The first of such strategies is the activity. Physical activity has been found to be one of the best strategies to prevent obesity. Running, jogging and walking, engaging in sporting activities all help in burning access calories in the body thus an individual remains fit (Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh, & Merchant, 2005). The second prevention strategy is dietary changes and these include eating healthier foods lacking sweeteners, avoiding processed foods and fast foods. Healthier foods include food rich in vitamins and fiber such as fresh fruits and vegetables (Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh, & Merchant, 2005). The third strategy is lifestyle changes and this will include adapting healthier living by avoiding activities such as smoking, reducing sedimentary behaviors such as watching television etc. Lifestyles dictate what activities people engage in and this has an overall impact on the body especially with activities that allow for fat deposition in the body (Mauro, Taylor, Wharton, & Sharma, 2008). The fourth strategy is through education and this helps in improving the knowledge and skills of the community about obesity (Kumanyika & Brownson, 2007). People should be taught the appropriate behaviors and what they need to do to avoid obesity. This should be done by involving people in the education programs. The fifth strategy is the promotion of obesity free environment through social and economic programs that are aimed at eliminating obesity supporting activities (Kumanyika & Brownson, 2007). These programs both at community and national level are important in the prevention of obesity.
References
Dehghan, M., Akhtar-Danesh, N., & Merchant, A. T. (2005). Childhood obesity, prevalence and prevention. Nutrition Journal, 4: 24.
Kumanyika, S. K., & Brownson, R. C. (2007). Handbook of Obesity Prevention: a resource for Healthcare professionals. New York: Springer.
Mauro, M., Taylor, V., Wharton, S., & Sharma, A. M. (2008). Barriers to Obesity treatment. European Journal of Internal Medicine, 19(2008): 173-180.
Tripp-Reimer, T., Skemp, k. L., Choi, E., & Enslein, J. C. (2001). Cultural Barriers to care: Inverting the Problem. Diabetes Spectrum, 14(1): 13-22. Read More