Community Teaching Work Plan on Obesity - Essay Example

In the process of education, various barriers have come into play that affects their effective teaching of 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 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 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 through the use of effective strategies. The best approach or strategies that can be used in the prevention of obesity are primary prevention strategies. These aim at addressing the root cause of the problem, reducing the likelihood of the 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 is 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 and 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 adopting 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 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 the community and national levels are important in the prevention of obesity.