Policy Priority: Childhood Obesity - Essay Example

Policy Priority: Childhood Obesity I. Introduction The problem of obesity in the United States has been cited as one of the major health and social problems in the country. Regardless of the nationwide attention on the problem, the effects have not been decreasing or being suppressed fast enough. The U.S population is still suffering effects of childhood obesity with the problem developing in all age groups (Murphy, 2011). With an increase in the effects of the problem, policies should be developed to effectively curb the problem. The paper discusses the suitability of an educational institution as the best placed policy maker. The paper proposes a plan for legislative visit to the policy maker and provides an approach to the policy plan. II. Key Strategies in the policy Plan Considering the fact the greatest cause of childhood obesity in the United States, major strategies of the policy change would increase diet specifications in educational institutions. For instance, an institution should strive to provide a balanced diet in all meals provided to students. In addition, there should limitation on the number of times in a week a meal should constitute of fatty foods such as fries and burgers. The strategy may also include the complete exclusion of sugar filled soft drinks. Another key strategy is to increase the indulgence of students in physical exercise. Each class should be provided with a compulsory physical education class. This would be more effective if physical education in the institution is carried out by professional in the field. Exercising recommendations should be provided by the expertise of a nursing professional. Past Actions and the Importance of the Issue to Nursing Poor dieting and lack of physical education in children has been collectively identified as major causes of obesity in the age group. For this reason, federal bodies have previously emphasized on the need to increase the level of physical education in schools. States have also passed laws aimed at changing curriculum development to include mandatory physical education in educational institutions. Changes in dieting in schools have been suggested but no significant changes have been made mandatory in schools. The role of the nursing in the action is important. The professional is best placed to develop both physical educational and dieting recommendations for educational institutions. This is important to the profession in that nurses would be able to develop preventive measures rather than creating obesity treatment mechanism. Policy Maker in the Policy Issue The problem of childhood obesity is most prevalent in education institutions. In an argument by Corkin, Clarke & Liggett (2011) educational institutions across the United States have the most victims of childhood obesity considering the age group most affected by the problem. The authors further assert that the responsibility of the institutions to address the problem has not been satisfactory (Corkin, Clarke & Liggett, 2011). Plan and Format of the Legislative Meeting Before the meeting with the board of the chosen educational institution, recommendation from a medical practitioner is obtained. The medical professional is tasked with the responsibility of providing both dieting and physical exercise recommendations. After the acquisition, the legislative meeting with stakeholders in the educational institution is requested. The meeting will be done in the annual collaborative stakeholder meeting. The meeting will constitute of parent representatives, boards of directors and student representatives. Prior to the meeting, a notification before the annual general meeting should be presented to the policy maker. This would be inclusive of the message that will be addressed during the meeting. Message to the Board of the Educational Institution The first strategy in the educational institution is developing proper diet plans for children. Poor dieting has been the greatest cause of obesity in the country. Specifically, the increasing consumption of fast foods is the greatest cause. In the institutions, the trend in dieting has also been influenced by the increased preference of fast foods in students. For this reason, cutting the consumption of fast foods in the school should be made mandatory. The federal bodies should develop dieting requirements for the educational institution under the guidance of the nursing profession (Friedien, 2010). The instructions should be made mandatory to abide by institutions. Considering that children below the teenage age group are most affected, dieting in lower educational levels should be exclusive of fast foods. NCL (2011) is of the assumption that dieting specifications from the federal stakeholder would be a great policy in dealing with obesity. The other responsibility of the institution would be on developing more physical exercise lessons for students. Childhood obesity is largely associated with high inactivity level in those affected. Similarly, the modern day physical exercise requirements in educational institutions are minimal to improve the activity level of students. To address the problem, adjustments in the curriculum should be considered. Specifically, the adjustments should address the need to increase the level of activity among students. In addition, physical exercises inclusion in the curriculum should be mandatory. Educational institutions should be made adheres to the changes in the curriculum. The role of the nursing professional in developing physical educational should not be ignored. Frieden, Dietz & Collins (2010) are of the assumption that a nurse understands the body requirements in regards to physical exercise. In addition, the professional will provide recommendations that may provide desired results. Moreover, the health needs of students during physical would be addressed by the nursing profession. III. Empirical Evidence in Support of the Approach The decision to address the problem at the annual general meeting is also effective considering that all stakeholders would be present in the gathering. In this strategy, each party would be notified on their responsibility for ensuring the success of the policies. In addition, each stakeholder would be able to present their ideas or issues regarding the suggested policies. This enables for the issues to be addressed before the implementation of the strategies commences. Obtaining recommendations from a nursing professional ensures the accuracy of the policies presented to the stakeholders in the educational institution. The strategy gives direction to the dieting and physical educational approaches suggested. The provided policy options may be effective and their efficiency measured, reviewed and evaluated over time. The policy of increasing the responsibility of educational institutions can be justified from the fact that the institutions are best placed to address the problem more directly. Frieden (2010) points out that poor dieting and lack of physical activity are leading factors in obesity prevalence. Addressing the two issues at the institution level may be the most effective solution to childhood obesity. In addition, obesity is most prevalent in institutions and addressing the problem at the level is the most effective approach. IV. Conclusion From the provisions of the approach stated, it is accurate to assert that educational institutions are best placed to reverse the trend in childhood obesity in the U.S. My presentation of the approach to the educational institution would be based on facts on dieting and physical education obtained from a medical professional. This would increase the suitability of the policy maker to consider the application of the approach. Consequently, the desired results would be obtained by the collaborative participation of all stakeholders of the policy maker. During the legislative, I will ensure the importance of proper dieting and physical education in the educational institution is understood. References Corkin, D., Clarke, S. & Liggett, L. (2011). Care Planning in Children and Young People's Nursing. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Frieden, T. (2010). A Framework for Public Health Action: The Health Impact Pyramid. Am J Public Health, 100 (4):590–595. Frieden, T., Dietz, W. & Collins, J. (2010). Reducing Childhood Obesity through Policy Change: Acting Now To Prevent Obesity. Health Aff, 29 (3): 357-363. Murphy, W. (2011). Obesity. New York: Twenty-First Century Books. National Conference of State Legislators (NCL). (2011). Childhood Obesity- 2011 Update on Legislative Policy Options. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/childhood-obesity-2011.aspx Read More