Childhood Obesity as a Major Public Health Issue.

Posted: January 2nd, 2023

Childhood Obesity as a Major Public Health Issue.

Please write 1 paragraph for each of the following (total 3 paragraphs) and each paragraph shall be no more than 6 sentences.Childhood Obesity as a Major Public Health Issue.

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1. Discuss a children’s health or major public health issue.

2. Name two key teaching points to address the issue.

3. What can you do to bring awareness to this issue?

Childhood Obesity as a Major Public Health Issue

One of the most significant children’s health issues in America today is childhood obesity. Majority of American children between the ages of 2 and eighteen are currently either overweight or obese due to the lifestyles that they are put through (Cheung et al., 2016). Chief amongst these is the consumption of large amounts of sugary and high calorie foods and beverages both at school and at home. This is coupled with a lack of physical exercise and many hours of watching television. Childhood obesity is a ticking health time bomb because it eventually causes health complications such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and heart disease. Diabetes and hypertension themselves will later give rise to kidney failure requiring dialysis and transplantation (Hammer & McPhee, 2018).Childhood Obesity as a Major Public Health Issue.

Two teaching points that can be considered to address the issue are that childhood obesity is preventable and also that it mainly affects the poor marginalised populations. Preventing childhood obesity requires giving the child healthy foods which contain enough fruits and vegetables. The child should also be made to engage in regular physical exercise such as walking (isotonic exercise). Furthermore, the hours of television should be reduced for these children. Evidence has shown that childhood and adult obesity and overweight are both more prevalent in poor populations in America. These are to a large extent Black and Hispanic communities.

There is a lot that can be done to tackle this problem and bring awareness to the issue. First is school-to-school educational campaigns to educate the children about obesity prevention and staying healthy. The other modality is the creation and distribution of educational pamphlets, brochures, and banners that carry a message of prevention of childhood obesity. There is also the option of using the mainstream media with prevention messages aired on prime time television. In this age of technology, social media like Facebook and Instagram can also be successfully used to spread the prevention message to the youth. Lastly, as a nurse there is the chance for advocacy with the policy makers to influence a change in policy for better practices.Childhood Obesity as a Major Public Health Issue.