Public Policies Addressing Social Issues in the USA

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Introduction

Children are more prone to the surrounding factors that can pose a threat to their health. For example, they are prone to lead poisoning as a result of the paint that is used in households. The change in eating habits and the lack of regular exercise have resulted in many children becoming obese and overweight. The metropolitan areas have been affected by the built environment in a profound way. This paper aims to address these issues, while at the same time linking the policies involved in addressing them.

Public Policy in Addressing Childhood Lead Paint Poisoning

Children are highly susceptible to lead poisoning, especially in their homes, where the paint that is used to decorate their houses has traces of lead. The introduction of lead in household paints dates back to many years ago when the paint producers mixed the lead with different paints with a view that it would act as an excellent adhesive aid to the paint. The lead was also used in paints in order to enhance the viscosity of the paint. However, little did the paint manufacturers know that lead would eventually cause poisoning.

Following this revelation, the US government has come up with effective policies that will see a reduction in the amount of lead that is used in paints. These policies are also meant to encourage the paint manufacturers to look for better forms of adhesives that can be used together with paints than the use of lead, says explained by the US Department of Health and Human Services (3).

The best form of policy that the US government uses to control lead poisoning in children is the increased awareness to prevent the use of lead in household paints. In 1992, the Housing and Community Development Act (Public Law 102-550) was enacted to address the regulation of the amount of lead that was used in housing paints (US Department of Health and Human Services 4). The main agenda that this policy sought to address was the prevention of lead in paints so that children could have maximum levels of lead at BLLs< 10ug/Dl. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) continues to advocate for the prevention of the use of lead in housing paints. This is achieved through particular means like public awareness, effective monitoring, and taking corrective actions against those found to violate the set standards on the maximum levels of lead in household paints (US Department of Health and Human Services 4).

Another policy that the US government employs in the regulation of lead poisoning in children is the use of local officials to identify the households that have high cases of lead contamination in their houses. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, the addresses of the houses that have recorded high amounts of lead in their household paints have been recorded by the local officials (5). This is done in order to regularly monitor the blood lead levels of the children in such houses so that effective measures can be taken in case their level goes beyond the maximum allowed levels. The identified houses are then marked as “high-risk areas,” giving the visitors a chance to know the kind of risk that they will be exposed to if they wish to visit such places.

The Lead Safety and Housing Code was implemented in a move to address the issue of lead poisoning in household paints in a more holistic way. In this code, the manufacturer of any household paint is required to indicate the level of the lead element that was used in the paint. That way, the user can know the amount of lead in the paint and make an informed decision about the use of such paint (Rabito, White, and Sharter 271). Also contained in the policy is the provision of surveillance by the particular officials who regularly visit suspected houses to evaluate the level of lead that was used in the paint and the vulnerability of the children to poisoning. In such a move, the authorities can monitor and regulate the use of lead in the paints applied in houses. However, more awareness is being done to encourage the adoption of “Lead Safe Work Practices.” These practices encourage the control of lead in areas that will pose a serious health threat to children (273).

How New York Compares with Philadelphia and Rochester in Addressing Childhood Lead Poisoning

Most of the cities in the United States have implemented policies to counter the increasing lead poisoning in children. New York is one such city where the local authorities are vigilant regarding the increasing cases of childhood lead poisoning. This city compares with Philadelphia and Rochester in addressing the crisis in a number of ways. All the three cities emphasize the need to promote primary prevention of lead poisoning (Korfmacher, Ayoob, and Morley 309). The authorities in the three cities have made considerable efforts to conduct public awareness and training to all the sectors involved in a move to sensitize every player on the need to have minimum amounts of lead in the paints used in households.

Screening of all children who are in areas that are said to be “high-risk areas” is done in all the three cities (310). This is done mainly to identify the blood lead levels of the children. If the blood levels are beyond 10ug/Dl, then adequate measures are taken to ensure that no more children are exposed to lead in such areas. Training of personnel that will screen the individuals in the high-risk areas is done in the three cities to ensure that the screening is done using the correct equipment, and only correct results are obtained (310).

Research is an effective method of addressing various challenges that modern mankind is facing. New York, Philadelphia, and Rochester have realized the need to engage and incorporate research in the fight against childhood lead poisoning. Korfmacher et al. report that there are a lot of resources that are geared towards research in lead poisoning (311). The research is aimed at assessing other avenues that would allow the manufacture of paints without the lead element in it. Korfmacher et al. admit that the provision of resources by the authorities in the three cities has led to profound advancements in addressing lead poisoning in children (311).

Public Policy in Addressing Childhood Obesity

Obesity is a condition that is proving difficult to address throughout the United States. More children are now becoming obese or overweight due to the change in lifestyle and the lack of physical exercise than it was in the past. However, the authorities have devised policies that are addressing this issue so that future generations can be healthy and contribute positively to the development of the country. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, the policies on childhood obesity are updated yearly (1). This is a move that ensures current and emerging issues of childhood obesity are addressed.

One of the policies that the US has enacted is the introduction of the “Student Fitness Screening at School.” This policy makes it possible to identify the students who are likely to be obese or those who are currently obese or overweight. The National Conference of State Legislatures admits that this method has been effective because almost all children residing in the US are easily found in schools (4). After identification, a comprehensive program is put in place where the students, together with their parents, are educated on the importance of healthy eating lifestyles and the need to engage in regular physical exercises. Regular monitoring follows this screening, were those marked as obese and overweight are monitored through the process of recovery.

The “School Nutrition Legislation” is a policy that various states have enacted in schools within their jurisdictions. This policy allows schools to introduce and implement school feeding programs to enable students to have access to better diets than the general community offers (Frieden, Dietz, and Collins 357). Through this move, the majority of children can differentiate what a balanced diet meal is and communicate the same to their parents and guardians back at home.

The health coverage through insurance on obesity prevention and treatment is another approach through which the US government can address childhood obesity. Insurance is for the adults, but with the provision of covering their children. Therefore, insured families have the chance to access education, as well as preventive approaches to prevent and treat obesity. This is a great move whereby children are in a position to be safeguarded from becoming obese and be treated in case they become obese (360)

Critique of the policies addressing Childhood lead Poisoning and Obesity

One can argue that a lot of facts, education, and human rights have been considered in coming up with policies that address childhood lead poisoning and obesity. For example, every human being has the right to better housing. In this light, the US government has enacted various policies that have addressed the issue of lead poisoning in household paints. In such a move, children are given a chance to reside in better houses that are free of lead.

It is on record that there are many children in the US who are becoming obese. This is a fact that the US government has used to address the issue of childhood obesity, especially in schools. Another fact used in this example is that most of the children are found in schools. Therefore, the policies that have been enacted to address childhood obesity have been placed primarily in schools. One can agree that education, facts, incentives, and human rights have been considered in coming up with policies addressing childhood lead poisoning and obesity

Impact of Built Environment on Mental Health, Public Safety, and Social Capital

The built environment in metropolitan areas has resulted in untold suffering to the residents of the urban areas. The mental health is one example, where a number of those residing in the metropolitan areas face depression (Korfmacher et al. 313).

This condition has been ignited by the fact that the increased noise, smoke, traffic jams, and such sufferings make many urban dwellers rethink of their relocation to rural areas. The fact that the land is limited, and the residents have limited options makes them depressed. Another form of the mental health impact that urban residents face is associated with driving. This type of mental health impact is called “driver’s stress.” It is the stress that is associated with the long traffic jams that occur during peak hours in the metropolitan areas. Korfmacher et al. agree that many of the drivers who are normally caught in this kind of traffic jams are reported to experience heart attacks at a higher rate than rural dwellers (314).

Public safety in metropolitan environments has been affected by the built environment. The numbers of road accidents that are reported in the cities are more than those that are reported in other areas, such as rural areas (315). Terrorism mainly occurs in urban areas. It implies that those residing in the urban areas are more prone to terror attacks in the public areas, such as bus and train stations than residents in other areas. Korfmacher et al. report that crime is more in metropolitan areas than in other places (314). Therefore, it is evident that the built environment has resulted in lesser public safety in areas that have urbanized.

The social capital in the urban areas is reported to be more than in rural areas because of the easy access to facilities such as health sectors, recreation areas, and other necessary amenities that human beings require for better social capital (Public Health Advisory Committee 2). The fact that a good number of urban residents drive to work raises the social capital of urban dwellers to higher rates than the rural dwellers. This is attributed to self-satisfaction and the ability to meet other people in various urban occasions.

There are policies that address the issue of the built environment, especially in metropolitan areas. One such policy is the Environmental Policy (2). This policy has been implemented by almost all states in the US. It is this policy that ensures the level of wastes produced by manufacturing companies is regulated to the amounts that are permissible for release to the environment. This policy also addresses the issue of roadworthy vehicles. The vehicles that are not fit for use are restricted from using the US roads, until such time that they are fit. Other issues that are addressed by the environmental policy include the rules on the construction of houses and the guidance on waste management from the homesteads. This policy uses the information available on the impact of built environments to address the impacts.

Conclusion

Childhood lead poisoning has been attributed to the household paints that have been in use since ancient times in the history of the US. The prevalence of childhood obesity is at an alarming rate in the US. The built environment has contributed to the untold sufferings of the residents of the metropolitan areas. However, there have been policies that have effectively addressed these issues using various sources of information, such as education, existing facts, and human rights.

Works Cited

Frieden, Thomas R, William Dietz W. and Janet Collins. “Reducing Childhood Obesity through Policy Change: Acting Now to Prevent Obesity.” Health Affairs 29.3 (2010): 357- 363. Print.

Korfmacher, Katrina Smith, Maria Ayoob, M. and Rebecca Morley. “Rochester’s Lead Law: Evaluation of a Local Environmental Health Policy Innovation.” Environmental Health Perspectives 120.2 (2011): 309-315. Print.

National Conference of State Legislatures. Addressing Childhood Obesity: Legislative Policies. 2015. Web.

Public Health Advisory Committee. Review on International Evidence Linking Health and the Urban Built Environment. 2008. Web.

Rabito, Felicia A., LuAnn White E. and Charles Shorter. “From Research to Policy: Targeting the Primary Prevention of Childhood Lead Poisoning.” Public Health Reports 119.1 (2004): 271-278. Print.

The US Department of Health and Human Services. Preventing Lead Poisoning in Young Children. Washington, D.C.: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2005. Print.

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