Obesity now ranges among the most pressing health problems of contemporary developed societies. There are a lot of approaches allowing the affected group to deal with the issue. Within the behavioral approach to weight loss, there are three major paths to deal with the problem. These are Operant Conditioning (OC), Classical Conditioning (CC), and Social Learning Theory (SLT). Operant Conditioning presupposes reinforcement of the right behavior (either positive or negative). Classical conditioning deals with stimulus effect (which presupposes satisfaction from having a healthy and slim body). Social Learning Theory claims that the behavior of patients suffering from obesity can be modified by their social environment.
Implementation plan
Thus, considering all these methods, a comprehensive weight loss plan featuring a reinforcement schedule and learning sequence may look as follows:
Goal-setting
the behavioral objectives leading to the achievement of the ultimate goal must be identified (diet plan, exercise program, ways to deal with hunger, etc.)
Operant reinforcement
rating of objectives and goals
praising favorable behavior in eating and exercising
introducing a system of bonuses for each completed task (according to its complexity and results attained)
strictly adhering to the system of punishments for each violation of the rules (negative reinforcement), which should manifest itself in additional exercising, not in food deprivation
Stimulus control
starting learning from controlling conditioned stimulus: eating at a fixed time using the same tableware; keep products out of sight in-between the meals; serve the required amount of food without helpings; distracting from other activities during meals
controlling unconditioned stimuli through favorable behavior (the amount of gastric juice produced by the stomach and provoking hunger at the sight of food can be reduced gradually due to the right eating habits)
Response Prevention
learning to wait 5-15 minutes even if the urge to eat is hardly bearable
using vicarious reinforcement (replacing the activity with another one)
substituting high-calorie products with light ones (eating vegetables or fruit instead of sweets)
Changing of eating behavior
learning to eat slowly, biting small pieces and chewing slowly; making pauses between bites
using the other hand to eat to slow down the process
Monitoring
recording eating habits (place, time, the quantity of food eaten, etc.)
monitoring weight changes
keeping track of the implementation of the program
Acquiring useful social skills
trying to refuse all the offers of food when it is not time to eat
introducing healthy habits in the family to support each other to increase self-efficacy
learning not to eat out of politeness
Cognitive transformation
learning to encourage yourself, especially in cases when you feel down and depressed and is about to quit the weight loss program because its effect seems questionable
learning to recognize and prevent situations in which you want to eat out of stress, boredom, excitements, and for other reasons not connected with real hunger
increasing self-esteem through constant improvement of your style, image, perception of the body, etc.; learning to love yourself and your achievements
forgetting how to compare yourself with others to avoid negative associations
Training to prevent future relapses
learning to predict risks associated with internal or external reason and learning to prevent or handle them
not quitting the weight loss program even if the weight starts fluctuating and some gains happen
learning to deal with stress with the help of exercising instead of eating more.
Obesity in teenagers has been dramatically increasing in a few past decades and, in the United States, it has obtained the status of epidemics. Recent statistics indicate that over 30% of contemporary teenagers are either overweight or obese (Huh et al., 2012). Whittemore et al. (2013) also observe that the increase in the incidence of this adverse condition is especially high in minority population groups, with obesity rates exceeding 20% for Latino and Black adolescents (p. 2). In both adults and children, the condition is associated with multiple adverse health issues including cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, asthma, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus (Huh, Stice, Shaw, & Boutelle, 2012; Whittemore et al., 2013). Moreover, Huh et al. (2012) state that it leads to some psychological problems such as increased body dissatisfaction, lower self-esteem, and academic attainment. For these reasons, an effective prevention and intervention strategy aimed at the elimination of the selected problem in the target population is required. In the given paper, the attempt to develop a multimedia education program will be made. To do so, a few evidence-based solutions will be reviewed and the findings will be utilized to design the campaign.
Target Audience
The education program will target female adolescents age 12-18. As the statistical data show, teenagers are more prone to the development of obesity. Moreover, the incidence of the condition is higher in women (Huh et al., 2012). Since the ethnic differences in overweight and obesity rates are also identified, it is important to ensure that the program will be ethnically inclusive. The given population group is selected for this project because childhood and adolescent obesity tends to persist into adulthood and increases individuals propensity to the development of chronic health conditions (Shin et la., 2014). Thus, early intervention and prevention can have a greater positive impact on the improvement of obese teenagers quality of life throughout the lifespan.
Campaign Description
The main causes of obesity are the intake of high-calorie-dense food and the lack of physical activity. Thus, these two issues should be addressed during the education. The educational materials will be developed taking into account the major premises of the Social Cognitive Theory, according to which individual psychological aspects of behavior closely interrelate with broader social context, such as family and community. It means that when interacting with peers in schools, teenagers can adjust their own decisions and actions in response to modeled behavior (Shin et la., 2014, p. 2). Thus, they can be encouraged by their peers to intake healthy or unhealthy foods and engage or disengage in sports. For this reason, the education program will be school-based.
The media that will be used in the campaign include online education materials and promotional posters. As stated by Wang, Liaukonyte, and Kaiser (2015), two main types of advertising aimed to encourage healthier dieting and discourage the unhealthy one are healthy eating advertisements and anti-obesity advertisements (p. 4). The two methods are, however, associated with different efficacy levels. For instance, healthy eating advertising conveys a positive message and, as the research evidence shows, they usually have a significant effect on increasing the consumption of fruit and vegetables (Wang et al., 2015).
Conversely, anti-obesity advertisements often contain frightening messages aimed to persuade already obese individuals to avoid unhealthy food choices (Wang et al., 2015, p. 5). Scholars and psychologists state that this type of campaigns may stigmatize obese people and, in this way, induce their resistance to change and potentially stimulate their increased engagement in unhealthy lifestyles (Wang et al., 2015). Therefore, in the recommended school-based education program, only positive messages must be transmitted to avoid adverse impacts on the psychological state of overweight students and school culture as a whole. Favorable effects of fruit on the skin, of physical activity on stress levels and academic achievements are a few examples of such positive advertisement messages.
The positive and destigmatizing messages can be promoted on the school website, blogs, and other platforms used by students as well. Considering that many online social media contribute to the persistence of weight stigma, the development of a supportive online community that would provide a compassionate and non-judgemental space for students can significantly facilitate the progress in the prevention and intervention of adolescent obesity. Only in this way, it will be possible to eliminate existing stress factors that may affect students behaviors.
Lastly, a comprehensive Internet education program should be implemented in the school. The Internet program may include videos and articles about healthy food selection, etc., as well as some practical activities on food energy calculation, modification of meals, etc. It is worth noticing that in educational settings where Internet education on healthy eating behaviors was provided during class time, students had a more positive perception of programs and showed a higher level of participation compared to those students who were asked to attend the Internet interventions during their free time (Whittemore et al., 2013). Thus, it is essential to include the program in the curriculum. If the program is obligatory, it will also be possible to ensure that adolescent girls from various ethnic and social backgrounds will have an opportunity to benefit from it.
Conclusion
The suggested school-based multimedia education program aims to both prevent and intervene teenage obesity in girls age 12-18. The media included in the campaign are printed and online materials. The main purposes of the program are the destigmatization of overweight people, promotion of favorable school environment, and development of awareness of healthy food choices in the target population. The expected measurable outcomes of the campaign may include the reduced BMI in the course participants and sustainable engagement in healthier lifestyles.
References
Huh, D., Stice, E., Shaw, H., & Boutelle, K. (2012). Female overweight and obesity in adolescence: Developmental trends and ethnic differences in prevalence, incidence, and remission. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41(1), 7685.
Shin, H.-S., Valente, T. W., Riggs, N. R., Huh, J., Spruijt-Metz, D., Chou, C.-P., & Pentz, M. A. (2014). The interaction of social networks and child obesity prevention program effects: The pathways trial. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 22(6), 15201526.
Whittemore, R., Chao, A., Jang, M., Jeon, S., Liptak, T., Popick, R., & Grey, M. (2013). Implementation of a school-based Internet obesity prevention program for adolescents. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 45(6),
Child obesity is one of the most critical health problems in Australia. The complexity and risks of it are related to serious underlying medical consequences. In addition, childhood obesity has a significant impact on the countrys budget and has adverse effects on the expected quality of life. It is essential to analyze the data gathered from scholarly sources such as peer-reviewed journals and government publications to understand the extent and causes of the problem.
The Issue of Malnutrition
It is worth noting that the issue of child malnutrition is far from being resolved. Despite a subtle positive tendency evidenced in the statistics in Graph 1, the situation requires an immediate response from both the government and the society (NSW healthy eating and active living strategy, 2013):
Graph 1. The tendency in child obesity (boys marked with black, girls with green).
Among the crucial pathogenic causes of childhood, obesity implies a number of reasons related to the environmental factors (such as poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, low socio-economic status of the family and the educational level of parents). In terms of the sociological perspective, according to statistics, more than 30% of overweight Australian children come from families with low socioeconomic status (Pescud & Pettigrew, 2014). In such families, the nutrition/physical activity system is built incorrectly and inefficiently. It is due to the low quality, type, value, and attractiveness of products available for consumption and no incentive to lead an active way of life.
Sociological Perspective of the Issue
The structural reasons associated with obesity lie in the policies of the health care industry. Typically, low-income families have limited access to government programs or are not aware of them (Barnes & Rowe, 2013). In addition, the sociological roots of obesity have a dual nature. They are connected with inadequate nutrition in the prenatal period, infancy, and early childhood followed by a high-energy diet that can be characterized by a large intake of fat, the lack of essential microelements, which is accompanied by the lack of physical activity as well.
Families with low income either do not have the possibility to buy natural and high-quality products or are unaware of balanced dieting; as a result, children opt for high carbohydrate and fatty foods (baked goods, potatoes, low-quality fats, oils). In many cases, parents do not know how to substitute products for a balanced diet correctly (Byrne, Cook, Skouteris, & Do, 2011).
One of the serious complications of childhood obesity in Australia is the difficulty in the social adaptation of the child, which is manifested in complex emotional and behavioral disorders (Lacy et al., 2015). Children may develop disorders, including depressive symptoms as a result of social rejection, discrimination, or negative stereotypes existing in the society or in the childs environment, which leads to eating disorders (Delgado, 2013).
There are various state initiatives designed to meet the needs of socio-economically disadvantaged communities to improve access to healthy food and assist them in eating healthily, be active and achieve and maintain a healthy weight (NSW healthy eating and active living strategy, 2013, p. 22). However, the issue is critical, which evidences that the government should utilize such practices that would promote higher social involvement and increase awareness of people so that they would not be reluctant to participate in such programs.
In conclusion, there is an inverse relationship between the sociological aspects such as family income, parental education, nutritional patterns, and others, and the probability of occurrence of overweight or obesity in children. Consequently, the state should take drastic steps to boost the health literacy of parents, promote healthy lifestyles on the base of educational institutions, and change the perceptions and attitudes in contemporary society. As child obesity may turn into more serious health-related issues in the adult age, it is essential to address the problem prior to its occurrence or at its initial stage.
References
Barnes, M., & Rowe, J. (2013). Child, youth and family health. Sydney, Australia: Elsevier.
Byrne, L., Cook, K., Skouteris, H., & Do, M. (2011). Parental status and childhood obesity in Australia. International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, 6(5), 415-418.
Delgado, M. (2013). Social justice and the urban obesity crisis. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
Lacy, K., Nichols, M., de Silva, A., Allender, S., Swinburn, B., Leslie, E.,&Kremer, P. (2015). Critical design features for establishing a childhood obesity monitoring program in Australia. Australian Journal of Primary Health,21, 369-372.
Pescud, M., & Pettigrew, S. (2014). Treats: Low socioeconomic status Australian parents provision of extra foods for their overweight or obese children. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 25(2), 104-109.
Many scholars believe that health risks can be averted in case overweight problems are identified at an early age (El-Bayoumy, Shady, & Lotfy 2009, p. 154; Rubinstein, 2005, p. 103). Health care professionals should focus their attention on childhood obesity because it is a good predictor of dangerous diseases that can manifest themselves during adulthood. In particular, timely disclosure can prevent such diseases as hypertension, diabetes, respiratory disorders, or cardiovascular diseases (El-Bayoumy, Shady, & Lotfy 2009, p. 154; International Diabetes Federation, 2011). Several pieces of research conducted in the last two decades have revealed that the prevalence of obesity among children increased by 17% 30% in developed countries (Seidell, 2000).
The increasing prevalence of obesity and overweight among children and the resultant effects are a crucial concern to public health (Hazmi & Warsy, 2002). Childhood obesity is known to increase the chances of several negative effects, disorders and diseases such as high blood pressure, damage of self-esteem, osteoarthritis, heart-related diseases, sleep disorder, diabetes, and particular kinds of cancer (Must & Strauss, 1999). The purpose of this study is to provide an understanding of the prevalence of overweight and obesity among school children in Kuwait.
The results from this study can help healthcare providers to assess the risk of developing health issues relating to obesity and overweight in children. Furthermore, the research seeks to examine attitudes and perceptions of teachers, parents, school administrators, and Ministries of Education and Health officials concerning overweight and obesity in children with the perspective to improve public health policies. In addition, the study focuses on major risk factors that influence the prevalence of childhood obesity. The study focuses on sample schools and school nurses as an approach to reach parents and the community at large through children.
School and school nurse in Kuwait
Public and private schools in Kuwait operate under regulations put together by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education; whereas the Private Education Department and Ministry of Education supervise and register all foreign schools in Kuwait ( Education in Kuwait , 2012). School attendance is mandatory for children in Kuwait and public schools are free for Kuwaitis children between the ages of six and fourteen. Children between two and four years can attend private nursery schools ( Education in Kuwait , 2012). The school system in Kuwait consists of elementary, intermediate, and secondary schools, including four years term for each of them ( Education in Kuwait , 2012).
Schools principally play an important role by providing an environment that is safe and supportive with strategies and exercises that promote healthy behaviours. The school is identified as a significant setting to enhance childhood health as children spend quality time at school. Schools can serve as an optimal background for preventive attempts of overweight and obesity (Warren et al., 2003). Schools in Kuwait have participated in the struggle to prevent the increasing trends in childhood obesity and overweight with its roles (Murphy and Polivka, 2007). In recent years, most school-based programs initiated towards preventing the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity among children in Kuwait have shown great success (Warren et al., 2003).
The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children of 11 14 Years in Kuwait schools can be curbed if children are well educated and enlightened about diet as poor diet is a major risk factor of childhood obesity and overweight. Schools make available essential opportunities to influence the dietary habits of children which in turn, checks overweight and obesity among them. Schools are empowered to reach a vast number of children in Kuwait to educate them about a healthy and balanced diet (Sorkou et al., 2003).
The school nurse relates with children and their parents in the course of their duty in addressing the health challenges of students. Schools create a great opportunity for school nurses, parents and children to interrelate. Parents play significant roles in preventing childhood obesity and overweight, but specific cultural practices and religious beliefs of Kuwaitis have in one way or the other inhibited direct access to parents; hence, it is uncomplicated to reach parents through schools. This approach can be employed to reach Kuwaitis parents through their children.
The introduction of school nurses in Kuwait is crucial as much Western Literature has stressed the important roles played by school nurses in mitigating the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity amongst other health challenges.
School nurses in public schools handle the mental, social, emotional, physical and psychological health of school children (Sorkou et al., 2003). The primary objective of the school nurse is to assist school children, parents and families, and the school community to tackle health issues faced by students such as for overweight and obesity (National Association of School Nurses, 2002). They carry out several services that prevent an outbreak of disease and influence the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children. One of such services includes health care education. They perform the role of educating and enlightening students and their parents about dietary, physical health and other issues that are connected with obesity and overweight (Schantz, 2007).
School nurses also serve as information providers for students and their parents. In addition, school nurses serve as a channel of communication between schools and providers of health care services within and around the community. Moyers, Bugle, & Jackson (2005) pointed out that parents prefer to obtain information relating to their childrens weight from school nurses.
School nurses also perform certain crucial roles in adjusting health policies within schools and the society at large via wellness committee service. School nurses serve as agents for the effective implementation and management of school-based obesity and weight-reduction programmes in schools (National Association of School Nurses, 2002). The relevance of school nurses in influencing health issues such as the prevalence of childhood obesity and overweight cannot be overemphasized
References
Education in Kuwait. (2012). Web.
El-Bayoumy, I., Shady, I., & Lotfy, H., (2009). Prevalence of obesity among adolescents (10 to 14 Years) in Kuwait. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, 21(2), 153159.
Hazmi, M., & Warsy, A. (2002). A comparative study of prevalence of overweight and obesity in children in different provinces of Saudi Arabia. Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, 48(3), 172-177.
Moyers, P., Bugle, L., Jackson, E. (2005). Perceptions of school nurses regarding obesity in school-age children. Journal of School Nurses, 21(2), 8693.
Murphy, M. & Polivka, B. (2007). Parent perceptions of the schools role in addressing childhood obesity. Journal of School Nurses, 23(1), 40-6.
Must, A., & Strauss, R. (1999). Risks and consequences of childhood and adolescent obesity. Int. J. Obes. Relat. Metab. Disord, 23, 2-11.
National Association of School Nurses. (2002). Position Statement: Overweight children and adolescents. Web.
Warren, J.M., Henry, C., Lightowler, H. J., Bradshaw, S.M. & Perwaiz, S. (2003). Evaluation of a pilot school programme aimed at the prevention of obesity in children. Health Promotion International, 18(4), 287-96.
Schantz, S. (2007). Children and adolescent Obesity, IBM, and the school nurses role. Journal of School Nurses, 15(1), 33-46.
Seidell, J.C. (2000). Obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes A worldwide epidemic. British Journal of Nutrition, 83, 5-8.
Sorkou, I., Al-Qallaf, K., Al-Shamali, N., Hajia, Al-Qal, B. (2003). Childhood obesity in Kuwait, prevalence and trends, Family Medicine, 35(7), 463-4.
Contemporarily, there are various issues facing the U.S which can be said to have been given rise to by the setting of priorities as well as the legislative agenda by the government and the congress. Some of the major challenges include critical issues attributable to the health care system of the nation. The purpose of this paper is to establish and address the issues that impact the public in the United States.
The problem
According to New York Times, the serving size of soda as well as other beverages that are sugar-sweetened in movie theatres, street carts and restaurants has been identified as an issue that affects the lives of the citizens of the United States. The editor of this article asserts that too much intake of soda and sweetened beverages increase the possibility of a person developing obesity.
Review of the literature
Soft drinks such as soda are constituted of extremely high levels of sugar as well as calories. In the findings of the research by Hector, et al. (2009), a standard can of manufactured soda is approximately 12 ounces. In addition to this, this can be contained in sweeteners which are equivalent to 10 tablespoonfuls of sugar as well as approximately 150 calories. The research further established that, by consuming excess soda or even diet soft drinks say 2 cans, the calories add up and as such, there is a bigger likelihood that the person will experience a weight gain, which will exceed 2 pounds in that month. The researcher further uses logic by indicating that, in a year, the person will have gained 20 pounds or even more (Grynbaum, 2012 May).
According to the findings of the research conducted by Ogden, Kit, Carroll & Park (2011), the effect of sugary beverages is insignificant as compared to soda as well as sugary drinks. Further, the findings indicate that sugar-sweetened drinks are among the main reasons why obesity has emerged as a pandemic in the United States. Precisely, obesity, stroke as well as coronary artery disease are brought about by too much consumption of sweetened drinks (Waillet, 2012).
In research conducted by Childrens Hospital Colorado (2012), 82,902 female nurses were identified. At the beginning of the study, their health, as well as diet, was established and as such, none of them had any complications. After 12 years, information about the same was taken and it was found out that about 2,718 had developed obesity. According to the researcher, most of these people who developed the condition consumed large amounts of soda and sweetened drinks.
According to most researchers, rather than taking sugary drinks, a person who prefers to take a glass of plain water every day indeed is indeed likely to reduce the risk of contracting type 2 diabetes as well as obesity. According to Hector, et al. (2009), it is not just taking water that reduces the risk of obesity. Instead, a person should take from 8 to 10 ounces. They further assert that fruit juices should not be assumed to be the ideal substitute for soda. In their findings, he indicates that fruit juices are capable of leading to a similar diabetic condition, that is, obesity as compared to 8 to 12 ounces of plain water.
Single simple sugars such as glucose are important in the body as they are used by the cells to obtain the necessary energy. Indeed, this is the main reason why the body contains intricate mechanisms which help in making the level of glucose in the bloodstream to be balanced. Sugary and sweetened beverages contain carbohydrates and when they are consumed excessively, they are transformed into glucose then absorbed into the bloodstream in a rapid manner.
Once the body establishes that there has been an excess absorption of glucose into the bloodstream, it reacts by releasing insulin which instructs the body cells to absorb the excess glucose. However, since the absorbed amount is too high, the insulin becomes insufficient meaning that the amount of sugar in the blood is too high and as such, a diabetic condition arises (Childrens Hospital Colorado, 2012).
According to the findings of the research conducted by Ogden, Kit, Carroll & Park (2011), inactivity raises the probability of developing obesity. According to the researchers, such things as watching movies and resting in restaurants are in activities as people only talk without doing much to stimulate the body. As such, inactivity increases the chances of developing the obesity condition by approximately 14 percent. In a movie theater or a restaurant, people who do not take beer are usually served with sodas and sweated beverages and as such, this coupled with the state of inactivity of the person further increases the chances of developing obesity.
A person who regularly works out his muscles and takes water or a very little amount of sweetened beverages increases and boosts the ability of the body to use insulin and therefore absorb the excess sugar. As such, the stress on the cells that produce insulin is lessened and therefore, there is no chance that the cells will fail. This is completely the opposite of a person who takes soda and sweetened beverages and is not involved in any activity. Such a person is likely to experience failure of insulin-producing cells and this means that obesity will surface (Waillet, 2012).
Conclusion
From the reading of the New York Times, it is evidently clear that serving size of soda as well as other beverages that are sugar sweetened in Movie Theater, street carts and restaurants is indeed risky to the health of the United States citizens as they are likely to give rise to health complications such as obesity (Waillet, 2012).
From the article, it is clear that New Yorks mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg is adequately aware that excessive drinking of sodas and sweetened beverages is dangerous to the health of the people especially when taken in a state of inactivity. The mayor advocates that people should take less of these in order to avoid the risk of developing obesity. He therefore proposes a ban on sodas and sweetened beverages being served in Movie Theater, street carts and restaurants (Waillet, 2012).
While this could be seen as an ideal decision by medical practitioners, there are other opposing views among them being from people within Mr. Bloombergs administration. Other people view the government as if its going for promotion then enforcement. In addition to this, the proposal does not consider the hospitality industry of the United States because; sodas and sweetened beverages are one of the major elements of their trade and they account for their revenues in a significant way (Grynbaum, 2012 June). According to the article, there are some members of New Yorks City Council who are circulating a petition with an intention of opposing this proposal. This clearly indicates that there are divisions with regard to the proposal (Grynbaum, 2012 May).
Recommendations
Foremost, instead of advocating a total ban on soda as well as other beverages that are sugar sweetened in Movie Theater, street carts and restaurants, the government should concentrate on efforts aimed at educating the citizens about the possible effects of taking excessive soda and sweetened beverages without being involved in an activity. Secondly, the government should encourage the citizens to consume only a limited amount of soda and other beverages that are sugar sweetened in movie theater, street carts and restaurants. The management of these places should ensure that a person requiring a drink is only provided with one and warned not to request for another one later.
Another way that the government could ensure that the rate of obesity in the United State is reduced could be through advising the management of movie theatres to ensure that every person visiting the entertainment scene is provided with a bottle of clean water at the expense of the government.
Alternatively, the government could instruct the soda and soft drink manufacturer to lower the sugar as well as calories content of their drinks. Every sugary drink should be inspected by the United States bureau of standards and if it meets the new standards, it is released for sale and if it does not, the manufacturer of the substandard drink should be prosecuted.
References
Childrens Hospital Colorado (2012). Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Children: 8 Things You Can Do Right Now. Web.
Grynbaum, M. M. (2012). New York Plans to Ban Big Sizes of Sugary Drinks. New York Times, p. 1-3.
Grynbaum, M. M. (2012). On Today, Mayor Defends Soda Ban (and Donut Day). New York Times, p. 1-2.
Hector, D., Rangan, A., Louie, J., Flood, V., & Gill, T. (2009). Soft Drinks, Weight Status and Health: A Review. A NSW Centre for Public Health Nutrition, 3 (1), 7-40.
Ogden, C. L., Kit, B. K., Carroll, M. D., & Park, S. (2011). Consumption of Sugar Drinks in the United States, 20052008. NCHS Data Brief, 2 (71), 1-8.
Waillet, W. (2012). Bloombergs Supersize Soda Ban. New York Times, p. 1.
Obesity is a health condition in which surfeit body fat mount up to the degree that it may have an unpleasant effect on health, leading to reduced life anticipation and increased weight. Child obesity has been gradually increasing as years go by, and it has raised anxiety over the whole world.
Baranowski, T., & Cullen, K., & Nicklas, T., & Thompson, D., & Baranowski, J. (2003). Are our Current Health Behavioral Change Models Helpful in Guiding Prevention of Weight Gain Efforts? Obesity Research, Vol. 11 (10). Pp. 23-43.
This article talks about the effective procedures that need to be followed to put off the increase of obesity. In particular, I am going to focus on the Social Cognitive Theory, one of the models used in the plan of nourishment education involvement. According to this article, investigation has made known that male eat good diets than women. Overweight persons had poorer levels of unassuming physical practice and poorer levels of energetic body workouts than those who were not obese. Obesity individuals had inferior belief in their competence, but there was no variation in result expectancy between overweight and non-obese persons. Goals have been set to watch on diets and bodily activities. Goal setting was recognized as one of the minority involvement measures constantly linked with adjustments consequential in the eating of more groceries and little fat among grown-ups.
Up to date results from research with children showed that development of dietetic transformation by target setting was a complicated function of whether children chose the foodstuff, and how much they consumed it altogether. Setting targets improved the consumption of fruits in the midst of individuals detested fruit and those who liked eating them. Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) presents a variety of perceptions for extension activities and measures for supporting transformation. Several of these concepts have been so helpful in changing the nourishing and corporeal workouts habits of individuals. Events that without fail and to a large extent adjust those interceding variables among those at high risk of obesity must be developed and tested. Field trials of the inconsistent that endorse change in the public should be developed and put into practice and then appraised on how they alter the conduct and put a stop to obesity and how this transformation can be reported for by the notion and measures of SCT.
At present, the meager foreseeing of these concepts for the knowledge of diet and body exercises amongst the kids is raising an alarm. No one understands if these ideas have not been put in practice or they are too logical to capture the habits of the children, or untrustworthy. Further studies with SCT and young ones should emphasize resolution in consumption and bodily activity proceedings above which kids put forth the majority of control, and thereby, the cognitive inconsistent could probably be analytical. Kids are not capable to watch over their diets or physical exercises. Therefore, parents and people surrounding them should make sure that childs diet is balanced. Although Social Cognitive Theory is extremely vital, much care should be taken to watch over diets and especial parents should encourage their offsprings to consume balanced diet.
Huang, J., & Pokala, P., & Hill, L., & Boutelle, K., & Wood, C., & Becerra, K., & Calfas, K. (2009). The Health And Obesity: Prevention and Education (HOPE) Curriculum ProjectCurriculum Development. Pediatrics. Vol. 124 (5). Pp. 1438 -1446.
This article talks about the health measures that should be followed to embark on obesity. The Health Belief Model (HBM) was a representation of conduct with the anxiety of matters concerning public wellbeing. It talks about what could happen if certain behaviors were followed so as diminish the danger of the ailment. Obesity can lead to serious diseases such as hypertension and, therefore, so much care should be taken to prevent this illness. The HBM is a spontaneously intriguing representation, and the majority of the forecast has not been established yet. To be helpful, investigation with HBM and interconnected models needs to set up an evident earnestness of and vulnerability to overweight in consideration to health check, individual, and public result, the indication to achievement, and what habits are superficial to reduce threats from overweight. In addition, the consequences of every habitual exercise taken the barricades to exercise the variety of behaviors, and the benefits that one gets from putting in actions the various habits.
Therefore, these ideas can be practiced to every pronouncement in consumption, or physical practices. These concepts can be applied to each decision in the eating or physical activity occasions, apart from time to commence or end the behavior. At the same time, these activities should be evaluated to people with obesity as well as those who are non-obese in various groups of people from individuals in a variety of populations; that is from a variety of social clusters, and age differences. Measures that affect these arbitrating differences and outcome in the most preferred equivalent changes in habits should also be acknowledged. For the reason that kids and youngsters have a propensity of distinguishing themselves as uninterrupted, the notion may not be of use amongst this group of individuals. HBM may be more functional as they usually apparent significance of, and vulnerability to obesity has turned out to be harsher in the community at large. Therefore, these measures should be put into practice by the obese individuals especially kids. Guardians need to make sure that proper exercise procedures are followed to curb this issue of obesity. However, if appropriate care is not taken on diet and exercises, all models and theories will be to no avail and cases of obese will continue to be on the rise.
References
Baranowski, T., & Cullen, K., & Nicklas, T., & Thompson, D., & Baranowski, J. (2003). Are Current Health Behavioral Change Models Helpful in Guiding Prevention of Weight Gain Efforts? Obesity Research, Vol. 11 (10). Pp. 23-43.
Huang, J., & Pokala, P., & Hill, L., & Boutelle, K., & Wood, C., & Becerra, K., & Calfas, K. (2009). The Health and Obesity: Prevention and Education (HOPE) Curriculum ProjectCurriculum Development. Pediatrics. Vol. 124 (5). Pp. 1438 -1446.
Barr-Anderson, D. J., Adams-Wynn, A. W., Alhassan, S., & Whitt-Glover, M. C. (2014). Culturally-appropriate, family- and community-based physical activity and healthy eating intervention for African-American middle school-aged girls: A feasibility pilot. Journal of Adolescent and Family Health, 6(2), 1-15.
This article evaluates an intervention aimed at improving African American females dietary habits and physical activity levels. Twelve adult females and twelve school-age girls participated. The participants had a positive view of the intervention and its effects. The intervention involved a 3-month physical activity program including sessions concerning healthy eating. The intervention was also associated with positive changes in the participants dietary habits and physical activity. This valuable source provides insights into the use of an effective intervention. It can help in developing a similar intervention.
Davis, K., Wojcik, J., & DeWaele, C. (2016). A comparison of the fitness, obesity, and physical activity levels of high school physical education students across race and gender. The Physical Educator, 73(1), 15-31.
This study aimed at comparing obesity, PA levels, the fitness of high-school students of different genders and races. The study involved 413 participants. Male participants scored better on PA, body fat, and fitness data as compared to females. African American students had significantly poorer results than the participants of other races. This article is a relevant source as it sheds light on the influence of physical activity school programs on students body weight and fitness with the focus on such variables as gender and race.
Dwyer-Lindgren, L., Freedman, G., Engell, R., Fleming, T., Lim, S., Murray, C., & Mokdad, A. (2013). Prevalence of physical activity and obesity in US counties, 20012011: A road map for action. Population Health Metrics, 11(1), 1-11.
The study examined the correlation between physical activity and body mass. The data of two national surveys were used, and over 3.7 million Americans aged 20 years or older participated. No correlation between physical activity and body mass was found. The increase in levels of physical activity was apparent during the period in question. Nevertheless, the growth of the obesity rate was also quite considerable between 2001 and 2011. This valuable source provides substantial quantitative data proving that the level of physical activity is not the major factor affecting peoples body weight and other variables should be taken into account.
Fradkin, C., Wallander, J., Elliott, M., Cuccaro, P., & Schuster, M. (2016). Regular physical activity has a differential association with reduced obesity among diverse youth in the United States. Journal of Health Psychology, 21(8), 1607-1619.
This article explores the association between physical activity levels and body weight in students of fifth and seventh grades with a focus on race and gender. Over 4800 students participated. It was found that regular low-intensity physical exercises were associated with decreased obesity in White and Hispanic male populations while no similar associations were found among African American students of both genders. This article is another source proving that physical activity is not the essential and even influential factor affecting obesity rate among African American school-age children.
McAlexander, K., Banda, J., McAlexander, J., & Lee, R. (2009). Physical activity resource attributes and obesity in low-income African Americans. Journal of Urban Health, 86(5), 696-707.
This article examines the association between sidewalk connectivity and peoples BMI and body fat. 216 low-income African-Americans participated in the research. It was found that higher sidewalk connectivity was associated with higher BMI and body fat. The major value of the study is the identification of the importance of considering several factors associated with the environmental status of people such as crime rate or the like. This valuable source explores the impact of an important factor on peoples body weight. It also proves that several factors should be analyzed.
McGee, B., Richardson, V., Johnson, G., & Johnson, C. (2015). Perceptions of food intake, physical activity, and obesity among African-American children in the Lower Mississippi Delta. American Journal of Health Promotion, 31(4), 333-335.
This article examines the target populations views on healthy eating and physical activity. The study involved 70 low-income African American children aged between eight and 13 years old. According to the results, the participants knew about healthy eating habits and the importance of physical activity, but they did not adhere to healthy dietary patterns and increased physical activity. This is a valuable source as it provides qualitative data concerning childrens views on the matter and the way this knowledge affects their behavior. It shows that interventions should not be confined to discussions of certain healthy patterns but should include encouragement and involvement into specific activities.
Do you know whether you are obese, overweight or just heavy? According to health research, more than a third of the American population is obese. Similar research conducted in other developing and developed countries shows that cases of obesity are rising rapidly around the world. The rise has been attributed to a change in their eating and other living habits.
What is Obesity? It is an increase in body fat that leads to health problems(Stettler and Shelly, 2009, p.1) If an individuals Body Mass Index (BMI), that is the proportion of weight versus height is between 25 and 29.9 they are overweight, but if it is 30 and above they are obese. One can be overweight without being obese in the case of pregnant women, bodybuilders or athletes. Obesity measures the amount of body fat that is mostly stored around the stomach, but weight could also come from muscles and bones. Most obese people have big tummies.
Although anyone can become obese, the condition is mainly associated with children, teenagers and young adults (Stettler and Shelly, 2009, p.3). They are more prone to obese since they are more likely to eat foods that have lots of calories and fat at parties, at school or when they are just idle. They are also less cautious when eating unhealthy, starchy and fatty foods(Harris,2009, P. 16). According to data summaries collected in 2007 from USI students, a significant percentage lacked enough sleep and engaged in drinking alcohol, some at higher levels, these two are factors that cause obesity.
Most young people are also not engaging in physical activity or exercise. Household and other chaos are done by machines and even simple things like turning on the TV, and computer and using other devices need minimal movement. The games that are being played today are on computers like video games and this makes them a lazy generation compared to their parents and grandparents. The biggest problem is that they do not realize that they are slowly killing themselves when they consume fat foodstuffs that are unhealthy. Obesity is linked to many health complications like heart diseases like stroke and coronary disease, Bone and cartilage wearing off (Osteoarthritis)
High blood pressure, Diabetes, problems in the respiratory system and sleep complications(Stettler and Shelly 2009 p10). An even greater fear is that some of these diseases are genetic so once you are sick this could affect your children and grandchildren and so on (Harris, 2009, p.12).
Obesity can be treated although prevention of the disease is better. The treatment is aimed at reducing the patients weight and maintaining their health once they have achieved it.
Prevention of obesity is simple and straightforward. One needs to make sure that they have a healthy weight, without excessive fats or calories. This is through making sure that they eat the right amounts of food, with the right nutrient content and here a lot of fruits and vegetables are the best foods.
Taking the right amount of water- about eight glasses a day is highly encouraged. Physical activity is also important, engaging in games and other physical exercises that are fun will make sure that one continues doing them and they become a lifestyle to them. Replacing machines in doing simple chaos can also help people who are busy and dont have time for exercise. Lack of sleep can also be a factor in obesity, it is important to get at least seven to eight hours of sleep a day. Everyone should strive to make sure that they watch their weight and try to keep a healthy amount of body weight. This will reduce occurrences of health complications and led to a better life. ( MediLexicon International, 2004)
When developing this newsletter, there have been challenges in getting information, particularly from journals that needed subscriptions. The formation of the layout was challenging because I did not have enough knowledge of how it is done. There were many sources and choosing the most reliable was also a big task. This assignment has been interesting and I have learned a lot of things that I can apply in my life and that of my friends and colleagues.
References
Harris, N.( 2009). Childrens Health Combating Obesity. Brighton: Emerald Publishing.
MediLexicon International Ltd.( 2004).What is Obesity? East Sussex: MediLexicon International Ltd.
Stettler, N.& Shelly, S. (2009). Living with Obesity. New York: Info base Publishing, Inc.
Junk food and a vast abundance of candies and sweet carbonated beverages led to one of the most serious global health challenges in the modern world. Childhood obesity can result not only in diabetes, high cholesterol levels, and increased blood pressure but also contribute to low self-esteem and depression. The situation becomes more dangerous as the number of pediatric obesity cases is constantly growing. Thus, childhood obesity threatens with aggravating cardiac and metabolic effects and complications that worsen the quality of a childs life.
Childhood obesity is an international problem that requires more research to find ways to prevent it. The understanding of the pathogenesis and development of this health condition is now enough and detailed, but the issues of prevention and treatment remain insufficient (Caprio et al., 2020). Moreover, pediatric obesity bears a high probability of continuing into adulthood (Caprio et al., 2020). Studies show that the rate increased by 14% or about ten times in the period between 1975 and 2016 (Caprio et al., 2020). It means that 50 million girls and 74 million boys are obese now (Caprio et al., 2020). In view of this, the world is going to face a growing number of obesity-induced adverse effects and complications if this tendency remains the same.
Pediatric obesity is often associated with metabolic syndrome that leads to various disorders. Nehus and Mitsnefes (2019) state that metabolic syndrome refers to a cluster of risk factors causing cardiovascular disease. They include hypertension, dyslipidemia, abdominal obesity, and glucose intolerance (Nehus & Mitsnefes, 2019). In turn, they can be a reason for the development of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in adulthood (Nehus & Mitsnefes, 2019). Moreover, there is a strong link between obesity and chronic kidney disease, as well as end-stage renal disease (Nehus & Mitsnefes, 2019). Childhood obesity is associated with kidney injury because there is a growing number of obesity-related renal dysfunction and proteinuria cases (Nehus & Mitsnefes, 2019). In this regard, the additional conditions can lead to more serious and incurable complications in the future.
Cardiometabolic complications represent an issue of acute concern. Caprio et al. (2020) found that almost 80% of obese children remain obese when they become adults. This fact suggests that the same percentage of young people are likely to have fatty liver, type 2 diabetes, as well as cardiovascular disease (Caprio et al., 2020). The main symptom of obesity is ectopic fat storage, which contributes to the development of insulin resistance (Caprio et al., 2020). In addition, obese children have an increased likelihood of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (Caprio et al., 2020). Intrahepatic fat accumulation may develop with the growth of BMI (Caprio et al., 2020). Thus, medical professionals and scientists have to pay much attention to the prevention of the mentioned complications.
To sum up, one should realize that childhood obesity is a dangerous health condition that can continue into adulthood. It poses different serious risks to the functions of the whole body, thus leading to cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, chronic kidney disease, and others. All these comorbidities of obesity often remain for entire life and require continuous medical management. In this regard, more attention must be paid to research investigating the adverse effects and complications of pediatric obesity to better understand the cause-effect connections and develop programs related to the prevention of this disorder.
This study will use the BMI tool to predict and check for obesity and overweight among children and adults (Rafiq & Jeppesen, 2018). BMI is calculated through the division of total weight and height. It is said to be directly connected to ones amount of fat within the body. Consequently, a high level of fat within the body is associated with numerous issues of health (Rafiq & Jeppesen, 2018). In adults aged 20 years and beyond, a healthy bodyweight ranges lies between 18.50 and 24.90 kgs, abnormal body weight starts from 25 to 29.9, obesity starts from 30 to less than 40, and severe obesity starts from 40 going forward (Rundle et al., 2020). BMI calculator is used to predict BMI classifications for teens and children as follows; teens and children categorized in lower than fifth percentage scale are underweight (Zhang, et al., 2019). Those in the fifth percentage scale and lower than eighty-fifth percentage scale have a normal body mass while those in the eighty-fifth percentage scale and lower than the ninety-fifth percentage scale are overweight (Zhang, et al., 2019). Lastly, those in the ninety-fifth percentage scale and beyond are obese.
An observational analysis is a qualitative type of research used for the observation of continuing behaviors within natural conditions (Dean, 2019). This technique will be used to study the connection between two main variables of the study; obesity and diabetes mellitus- type 2 (T2DM) (Dean, 2019). Generally, the data set will be extracted from a population size of 500 diabetic patients of which about 50 patients with BMIs of more than 30 will be selected. Primarily, the observational analysis will be used to investigate the exposure to obesity and outcome (T2DM) to enable comprehension of the relationship between obesity and increased risk of T2DM.
Description of Data
The data will be collected and recorded according to variables such as; age, sex, BMI, haemoglobin glycosylated (HgB A1C), and treated or not treated (Pandey, 2020). The data variables can be divided into two types of variables namely, numeric and categorical variables. The numeric type of variables is made up of continuous variables like age and discrete variables like HgB A1C (Pandey, 2020). The categorical type of variables is made up of nominal variables like labels, names, sex, and ordinal variables like whether the patient is treated or not treated.
In terms of age, the patients selected to become part of the study have to be 19 years or more (Pandey, 2020). The participants will also be classified into either male or female. Based on BMI, only those participants with a BMI of 30 or more will be selected (Zhang, et al., 2019). As for HgB A1C, values below 5.7 are of normal health while those between 5.7 and 6.4 indicate prediabetes and high chances of developing diabetes, and those values from 6.5 and beyond indicate the presence of T2DM (Rafiq & Jeppesen, 2018). This study is focused on identifying those that are type 2 diabetic, therefore, those with HgB A1C of more than 6.5 percent will be selected. Additionally, a combination of patients who have been treated and those not treated before will be included to get comparative results (Dean, 2019). Currently, the data is in Excel and is still not complete because it is yet to be processed for analysis. This is not a big issue for the study because importing the data from Excel to SPSS for analysis will not be a problematic process.
Description of Variables. Like other studies, this study will have independent, dependent, and confounding variables (Pandey, 2020). An independent variable is a cause of the issue being studied. A dependent variable is perceived as the outcome of the independent variable (Pandey, 2020). A confounding variable is believed to influence both the independent and dependent variables (Pandey, 2020). Obesity is the independent variable of this study because it is the causative factor. Diabetes is the dependent variable of the study as it is the outcome of the independent variable (obesity) (Pandey, 2020). Three variables that are interesting in this study include; annual income, ethnicity, and degree of education.
All these variables will be used as confounding variables due to the following reasons.
First, the annual income of the patient is an economic determinant that influences the food needs of the patient and choices of food diet by the individual (Pandey, 2020). It is said that the higher the income, the higher the expenditure on food. Therefore, the inclusion of the annual income variable into the analysis will enable the study of the influence of annual income on dietary behaviors and diabetes. Second, ethnicity is a social factor that also influences the food needs and choices of an individual (Butler, 2017). Inclusion of ethnicity variable will enable the evaluation of diabetic prevalence rates across various ethnic backgrounds. Lastly, the degree of education is a physical factor that influences the food choices and needs of an individual (Butler, 2017). For instance, individuals with lower education are more likely to eat unhealthy diets than individuals with higher levels of education. Therefore, the inclusion of this variable will enable the evaluation of diabetic prevalence rates based on education levels.
All the data collected in terms of variables will be recorded and analyzed using statistical methods with the help of SPSS software (Miller, 2017). This analytical tool enables the performance of descriptive analysis and representation of data through visualizations that are clear and easy to understand (Miller, 2017). In the end, the results are expected to affirm a direct relationship between obesity and T2DM based on the patients age, sex, BMI, annual income, ethnicity, and level of education.
Rafiq, S., & Jeppesen, P. B. (2018). Body mass index, vitamin D, and type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients, 10(9), 1182. Web.
