Measures to Win the War Against Childhood Obesity - Assignment Example

Population Health Affiliation: Section Obesity is the new menace in town with majority of the Americans being affected by it. The younger population between the ages of 5-35 years is the ones most susceptible to obesity due to their poor health choices and sedentary lifestyle. This population due to lack of other heath complications are engaging in unhealthy foods such as junk food and take outs and not having enough or any physical exercise at all leading to obesity. Childhood is spent between school, home, and doctors’ office and on other environments. If the people the children are interacting with on a daily basis which is termed the community take part in ensuring the healthy behavior, the obesity can be reduced. Article by Saxe, (2011) indicates that in order to win the war against childhood obesity that has been on the increase, it is important to involve the whole community in the project from the parents, to the physicians and anyone else in between. In this article, the general assumption is that by the community becoming involved rather than purely relying on only one party, the children will be protected from eating unhealthy food and ensure that they carry out regular physical exercises and not only sit playing video games at all times. The other article discusses how nurses should rom the time children are born advice on healthy dietary measures at each and every age. This will help solve the issue from the root cause Berkowitz & Borchard, (2009). In this article, the authors explain how women after birth listen to the advices provided by nurses and especially the first time mothers and follow that advice to the letter. Nurses are quite knowledgeable on the best diets for the children at each stage and incorporation of physical activities and hence are in the best position to disseminate this information to the parents. Obesity is on the rise and the policies that have been established to end it have not been effective. In order to get a long lasting and effective solution, it is important for the stakeholders who include teachers and parents to stock their houses and classrooms with only healthy snacks. The other step is to ban the sale of sweets and sugary beverages to children without adult supervision as well as have constant physical exercises in school and at home. The objective should aim at reducing significantly the amount of sugary beverages and unhealthy food the susceptible population are engaging in. These will ultimately improve their diet. It also aims at encouraging healthy lifestyle through physical exercises and not only in the gym but in the playground and through walking and riding bicycles. These two are the most basic and simplest of the objectives to attain and will yield significant results within a considerable amount of time. In schools, the information can be conveyed through their teachers as children listen and follow the advice provided by their teachers as well as their peers who have embraced the healthy eating. This will also provide the background of healthy living. Research indicates that children in the school going age spend much of their time with their teachers who influence the bulk of their behavior and attitudes (Saxe, 2011). By having the teachers handle the campaign on healthy eating, the message will be sent right home and the children follow it. The information can also be conveyed through the media in advertisements as this target population spends majority of their time online and in other forms of media and hence can encounter the information there. Research indicates that an average child spends much of their childhood life online playing video games and watching children programs and hence any education should be incorporated into these media (Saxe, 2011). Forming an alliance with the teachers and some of the most influential children in schools through education of the importance of healthy eating as well as the dire statistics on obesity is bound to bring support to the policy. The policy makers are driven by the attention they are bound to get and how that will benefit them. By making promises of media attention and recognition, the policymakers are bound to support the policy. In advertisement on healthy eating and constant engagement in physical exercises, individuals who were quite on the heavy side when young and faced with health complications and social distancing but who are bow healthy can be used as the models. This is bound to raise emotions and make the obese population undergoing the same issues focus on the policy advice and start leading a healthy life just to gain social acceptance and live a longer fulfilling life. Section 2 The past existing laws and policies tailored towards this health issue of obesity have yielded little to no positive effect at all. In fact, the statistics on the new cases of obesity have been on the increase and hence these policies and laws can be termed as obsolete in as far as this issue is concerned. It is important for this new policy to be effective if the war against obesity which is the base for many other diseases such as obesity and cardiac diseases are to be ended once and for all. In order for effectiveness, it is important to create new laws and regulations to be purposely used for this new policy. A new law enactment is bound to take time before it is formulated, debated and passed and this is the downturn to this solution. However, once enacted and the policy centered on it, the effects will be immensely positive and very effective to the target population. The other downside is that a lot of resources are bound to be needed and used and hence effective planning on this issue has to be addressed beforehand (Weible & Sabatier, 2014). If the past implemented and suggested laws and regulations on the matter of obesity are taken into consideration in implementing the new policy, a lack of progress is bound to take place. The laws and regulations have been a failure in the past and by still using them in the new policy, they are bound to force the same route taken to implement the policies that were ineffective to be taken leading tot eh same lack of results. This is true unless a modification of the past laws and regulations are carried out. On the other hand, the existing laws and regulations could lead to addressing some of the concerns and negatives evident with seeking an entirely new law and regulation. On the issue for example of using more resources of time, money and manpower to formulate, debate and enact a new law or regulation, the existing law will not need anything to be changed or very little to be changed in order to fit properly with the new policy being proposed. This would lead to a quick implementation of the policy and early results on the obesity situation. The first and most effective method that is bound to increase support of the policy twice fold is employing the three-legged stool approach. In using this approach, a professional lobbyist can be sought who is known and trusted by the politicians as well as other influential people in the health sector. He can be used to seek support from these important people. On the other hand, specific pieces of legislations relevant to the policy can be used to seek support of the policy and lastly is using the temporary lobbyist but who can advocate to the community such as of doctors and nurses and teachers (Zetter, 2011). Other than this approach, there is also the grassroot advocacy method where the professionals as well as volunteers can seek support of the policy from the community level and other relevant individuals who are not in high positions in government but whose input and support is necessary if the policy is to not only be enacted but also become successful (Weible & Sabatier, 2014). They have the numbers and hence hold majority of the votes and stakes in the proposed policy implementation. Hurdles are always present in every policy enactment process. The most obvious of these obstacles is from the conservatives or liberal sides who base their argument on culture. This policy is seeking to change how the schools operation by incorporating healthy food and snacks to replace the unhealthy ones present at this time. It also aims at prohibiting sale of sugary beverages and sweets to children without adult supervision which is bound to bring challenges implementation. By first identifying the most likely people to oppose it and approach them before making the issue public, it is bound to ease them into the advantage of such a policy in the long to even the cultures. The other hurdle likely to be encountered is that of resistance by the most negatively affected stakeholders of the policies which are the owners of confectionaries whose businesses are likely to suffer as a result of this policy (Sabatier, 2007). Their sales will definitely reduce with more children adopting healthier snacks such as fruits rather than chocolates for example. In this case, they can start making healthier snacks as this will be a money-making market and hence will still make money or become collateral damage. Section 3 Provision 7 of the ANA code of ethics indicates on how nurses’ can advance their profession through contributing to development of knowledge though administration, practice or education. In provision 8, nurses are encouraged to communicate with the other health care professionals to promote community and national as well as international efforts of meeting the health need. Lastly in provision 9, nurses are advocated to maintain integrity in their profession in order to shape social policy (Diane & Fowler, 2008). Population health demands a lot of input from the health care professionals. These professionals such as the nurses however need to have the relevant education and information about what is exactly to happen and how they can teach the population on improving their health as well as maintain healthy diets. Other than education, population health demands advocating through communication with not one person but the whole community at the local, national or even international level if needed. This will require a nurse advocate that is good in communication at all or any of these levels if the campaign on population health is to be successful. Lastly is the issue of having integrity. This means the ability to tell the truth and being honest about health issues to the target group no matter how devastating it is. Integrity leads to trust which is important for the dissemination of news and information to the population concerning their health. Nurses need this integrity if they are to handle the policy on social health. When carrying out the population health advocacy campaign and especially in the target populations such as a school, there may be cases where students confide in the nurse on their diet which is unhealthy but which they are forced to eat anyway. The information provided by the student is confidential and the student would not like the source revealed but it is a must to be addressed and especially if the diet issue had been lied about earlier by the school authorities for fear of implications. In this case, it is important to carry out investigation of the issue through the proper legal channels so that the evidence can stand out in court. The source of the information which may either be a student or teacher should not be revealed no matter what as it is bound by confidentiality code (Benjamin & Curtis, 2010). Another likely dilemma is where a nurse is bribed through monitory form or in kind and especially after unveiling a health conspiracy involving high government officials in the department of health. The in kind can be being offered a higher position in the hospital or a health organization. In this case, the dilemma is on whether to whistle blow on the issue which will come down to the nurse’s word against the senior health official word which is bound to lead to negative career progress of simply ignore the issue and take up the offered position. This is a tempting offer but the nurse should always maintain integrity no matter the repercussions it will have in the short or long term as this is the best ethical decision (Benjamin & Curtis, 2010). Maintenance of integrity is a must for all in the advocacy team as they are likely to encounter the hurdles discussed above and bribes may be offered. With integrity however, they will be able to handle any hurdle thrown their way without flinching. The other ethics is on ensuring that they try to do good at all times known as beneficence. This will be possible by remembering what the advocacy is all about and focusing on it rather than be swayed by the current challenges. Privacy should always be maintained and respected if trust towards the program is to not only be established but maintained as well. This is so unless the issue requires legal actions to be taken in which case the privacy can be broken. Some rights have to be curtailed such as the right to food and play as they will have to be forced not to eat the unhealthy food and snacks in the house or schools as well as be forced not to play unhealthy games such as video games which encourage sedentary rather that active physical activity which is needed for them. The other is on respect to the uniqueness of each individual. Obesity makes people large and hence unique. Some who have struggled with it throughout childhood see it as not only their identity but it makes them unique as well and by making them healthy and different, the uniqueness is taken away from them. References Benjamin, M. & Curtis, J. (2010). Ethics in Nursing: Cases, Principles, and Reasoning. New York: Oxford University Press. Berkowitz, B. & Borchard, M. (2009, January). Advocating for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity: A Call to Action for Nursing. The Online Journal of Health Issues in Nursing, 14(1). Diane, M. & Fowler, M. (2008). Guide to the Code of Ethics for Nurses: Interpretation and Application. New York: American Nurses Association. Sabatier, P. (2007). Theories of the Policy Process. Massachusetts: Westview Press. Saxe, J. (2011, November). Promoting Healthy Lifestyles and Decreasing Childhood Obesity: Increasing Physician Effectiveness through Advocacy. Annals of Family Medicine, 9(6): 546-548. Weible, C. & Sabatier, P. (2014). Theories of the Policy Process. Massachusetts: Westview Press. Zetter, L. (2011). Lobbying: The Art of Political Persuasion. New York: Harriman House Limited. Read More