Obesity Health Improvement Plan

Obesity Health Improvement Plan

Introduction and Purpose of Study

According to Kaiser Permanente Southern California’s Department of Research and Evaluation in Pasadena, California, more children are affected by extreme obesity at much younger ages. 12% of black females, 5.5% of girls, 7.3% of boys, and 11.2% of Hispanic teen boys are classified as being extremely obese. The study by Kaiser Permanente was the first to show extreme obesity prevalence in children aged 2 to 19 years from a most diverse ethnic and racial group. Children that are extremely obese are very likely to grow into obese adults as well. This also means that the said children are at risk of developing obesity-related illnesses in their adulthood. If significant changes in lifestyle are not taken, these children will face a shorter lifespan by 10-20 years and will develop health problems in their 20s, which are often seen in person in their 40s to 60s. The researchers showed that obesity peaked at 12 years for girls and ten years for boys in the study. The lowest percentage of extreme obesity was among non-Hispanic whites and Asian Pacific Islanders.

Demographics in Pasadena California

According to the Pasadena Public Health Department (2017), approximately 7.4% of families in greater Pasadena live below the poverty level. This percentage is significant because deprivation has been linked to extreme obesity (Zukiewicz-Sobczak et al., 2014). Families that are poor are often unable to buy healthy foods and instead buy the cheaper non-healthy options, which in turn contribute to increased rates of obesity.

Demographics in Pasadena California

The physical environment factors that impact health include harmful substances such as those present in air pollution or proximity to a toxic site; access to different health-related resources such as medical care, recreational facilities, and healthy and unhealthy foods, among others; and the design of the community such as transportation system, street connectivity, land use mix, among others.

Access to healthy food options is a significant challenge for persons living in Pasadena. Pasadena is characterized as a food desert, which means it has a scarcity of grocery stores yet many convenience stores and fast-food outlets. People who live in a food desert risk becoming obese and are likely to develop chronic illnesses because of a lack of access to healthy options and the poor choices of food they make (City of Pasadena, 2020).

Health Improvement Plan

The 0-1-2-5 campaign is the proposed community change, a message that will be resonated in all possible spheres of the community. The message focuses on encouraging individuals and, more so, children to drink 0 sweetened beverages, and if they have to drink, then the beverages should have limited sugar; children should engage in at least 1 hour daily of physical activity; spend a maximum of 2 hours screen time; and consume at least five servings of vegetables and fruit every day. The 0-1-2-5 message will be promoted to different public health organizations in the Pasadena area, including public and private schools and healthcare facilities. Posters will be put in public places such as the subway. Additionally, the schools’ nutritional education program will be required to include the 0-1-2-5 message and posters put up in schools. The local council will also be mandated to set up billboards on the highways that promote the message.

This will run in tandem with the Family Fitness Program. The evidence-based program will teach participants to increase their consumption of low-fat dairy, whole grain, vegetables, and fruit; increase the time they spend on physical activity; encourage cooking at home rather than opting for TV dinners; help students to maintain a healthy weight; increase the goal setting for physical activity and healthy eating, and foster positive collaboration and communication on healthy meal planning and preparations. The program will run in school or after school and target children between the ages of 8 and 12 years who are at high risk or are obese and overweight. The children will attend lessons on healthy food choices and making physical activity fun.

The success of the program will be measured using several criteria. The school program will require that attendance be recorded to follow up on the number of children participating and the frequency with which they experience it. The parents and guardians will also be requested to briefly fill in a weekly chart noting the number of fruits and vegetables a child takes. This information will be entered electronically via the Department of public health’s website. This way, the data will quickly be collated.

Considering the environmental realities and the community’s challenges, these two programs will work well because, for starters, schools already provide healthy food options, and children from low-income families only need to choose to consume these at school. Additionally, the physical fitness activities will be done after school hours, meaning that children will meet their goal of at least one hour of physical activity before they reach home. The schools at Pasadena are racially diverse, and hence schools offer the best opportunity to meet the needs of the children, race notwithstanding.

To address potential barriers or misunderstandings related to the various cultures prevalent in the community, the posters will be put up in English and Spanish. The two languages will cater to all residents of Pasadena. Further, the posters will also be comprised of images explaining the core concept. People tend to remember images more than words. Hence, the message will be in writing and mostly in image form. Also, posters will be brightly colored for two reasons. The first is that bright colors will attract the attention of readers. Secondly, because the strategy targets children, bright colors will pick their interest, and they would want to read on and remember to do like the poster states.

When these strategies are implemented, the community will stand to benefit. This will happen because the lives of the already obese children living in Pasadena will be more productive. Less sick, and will be lengthened by minimizing the risk of long-term illnesses. The healthcare system at Pasadena stands to benefit from a reduction n costs from fewer incidences of hospitalizations linked to obesity. As discussed earlier, children that are obese are likely to become obese adults as well. Thus, the proposed criteria for handling childhood obesity in Pasadena are appropriate. The schools are where children spend most of their days, and the time at home can also be used to monitor the children’s screen time. The change will occur when the community is made aware of the impact of a healthy child population in the present and future.

Regarding the communication strategy, the posters will be in English and Spanish. In addition to the posters, the target areas of dissemination will also be equipped with flyers. The flyers will be strategically positioned for anyone to pick and read. The flyers will have more information than the posters and billboards that will call the reader to take action. The contact information will be contained therein, and the benefits of participating in the program will be outlined in bullet form for quick perusal.

In conclusion, a community’s health depends on the ability to help its people make wise choices. Although environmental factors are a negating factor, the community can adopt healthier lifestyles if only they choose to. Children are the future of Pasadena, so safeguarding their health now is investing in a better Pasadena tomorrow. Parents and the community should be on-board with the opposed program as this will ensure its success.

References

City of Pasadena (2020). Pasadena Healthy Retail Program. https://www.cityofpasadena.net/public-health/nutrition-and-physical-activity/healthy-retail-program/

KaiserPermanente (2020). Extreme Obesity Affecting More Children at Younger Ages. Available at https://www.kp-scalresearch.org/extreme-obesity-affecting-more-children-at-younger-ages/

Pasadena Public Health Department (2017). Infant, Child and Teen Health
Assessment. Accessed from Infant-Child-and-Teen-Health-Assessment-2016-2.pdf

UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (2017). California Health Interview Survey. Accessed online at: http://ask.chis.ucla.edu/

Zukiewicz-Sobczak, W., Wróblewska, P., Zwolinski, J., Chmielewska-Badora, J., Adamczuk, P., Krasowska, E., … & Silny, W. (2014). Obesity and poverty paradox in developed countries. Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine, 21(3).

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

Obesity Health Improvement Plan

Overview:
Develop a population health improvement plan, based on your evaluation of the best available demographic, environmental, and epidemiological data, that focuses on your diagnosis of a widespread population health issue.

Part of effectively engaging in evidence-based practice is the ability to synthesize raw health data with research studies and other relevant information in the literature. This will enable you to develop sound interventions, initiatives, and outcomes to address health concerns that you find in data during the course of your practice.

Competencies:
In this assessment, you have an opportunity to evaluate community demographic, environmental, and

Obesity Health Improvement Plan

epidemiological data to diagnose a widespread population health issue, which will be the focus of a health improvement plan that you develop.By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

• Competency 2: Apply evidence-based practice to design interventions to improve population health.
  • Evaluate community demographic, epidemiological, and environmental data to diagnose widespread population health issues.
  • Develop an ethical health improvement plan to address a population health issue within a community.
• Competency 3: Evaluate outcomes of evidence-based interventions.
  • Propose criteria for evaluating population health improvement plan outcomes.
• Competency 4: Evaluate the value and relative weight of available evidence upon which to make a clinical decision.
  • Justify the value and relevance of evidence used as the basis of a population health improvement plan.
• Competency 5: Synthesize evidence-based practice and academic research to communicate effective solutions.
  • Develop a strategy for communicating with colleagues and members of the community in an ethical, culturally sensitive, and inclusive way.
  • Integrate relevant and credible sources of evidence to support assertions, correctly formatting citations and references using APA style.

******************************************************************************************
Questions to Consider:
As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.

Obesity Health Improvement Plan

Recall an experience you have had working with a population, or as part of a community health improvement initiative, or a time in your care setting that you observed this type of work within your organization or community.

• How were data and information about the community incorporated into the work?
  • Was the diversity of culture and beliefs in the community taken into account?
  • Were other, secondary, health concerns of the community also taken into account?
  • Were the economic and daily environmental realities of the community taken into account?
• What, if any, ethical issues were considered in working with specific groups and stakeholders in the community?
• What suggestions might you offer for doing things differently, if you could revisit that work?
  • Would you set different goals?
• What evidence would you present to support your recommendations?

*****************************************************************************************************
Suggested Resources
The resources provided here are optional. You may use other resources of your choice to prepare for this assessment; however, you will need to ensure that they are appropriate, credible, and valid. The MSN-FP6011 – Evidence-Based Practice for Patient-Centered Care and Population Health Library Guide can help direct your research, and the Supplemental Resources and Research Resources, both linked from the left navigation menu in your courseroom, provide additional resources to help support you.