Custom «Health promotion: obesity in primary school children» Essay Paper

Health care is a vital service that daily touches the lives of millions of Americans at significant and vulnerable times: birth, illness, and death. In recent decades, technology, pharmaceuticals, and know-how have substantially improved how care is delivered and the prospects for recovery. American markets for innovation in pharmaceuticals and medical devices are second to none. The miracles of modern medicine have become almost commonplace. At its best, American health care is the best in the world. Notwithstanding these extraordinary achievements, the cost, quality, and accessibility of American health care have become major legislative and policy issues. Substantial increases in the cost of health care have placed considerable stress on federal, state, and household budgets, as well as the employment-based health insurance system. Health care quality varies widely, even after controlling for cost, source of payment, and patient preference. Obesity is defined as an abnormal medical condition wherein the body is accumulating excess fats to such an extent wherein the health of an obese person is being affected on a very adverse manner. An obese person is expected to have the life expectancy reduced into a certain degree or percent because of the many complications that are triggered by the excess fats found in the body. Studies have found out that there are many diseases that are incorporated with obesity. Some of the most notable ones are type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease, difficulty in breathing while sleeping and osteoarthritis. Several reports have it that obesity is one of the leading diseases among the people in all nations. Even though the disease is preventable, it is very alarming to note that it is already inflicting not just the adults but as well as the children. Hence, it is now considered to be a serious threat to public health. The number of people, adult and children alike, that are suffering from it is increasing with each passing day (Kolata, 2007). Apparently, obesity is being considered as a disease that symbolizes, more than the excess fats, fertility and wealth among those who are inflicted with it. The rationale behind is the fact that those who are affected by it have more money to buy foods that will contribute to the accumulation of fats. It cannot be denied that those who are well-off in terms of finances are the ones who can buy more food than those who have nothing. Most of the former are able to buy any food they want, eat in a fancy restaurant, and eat junk foods and other foods that are not healthy for the body (Fumento, 1997). As a result of which, they are gaining excess weight and fats that causes diseases and the weakening of the heart that will eventually lead to death of those with obesity. The sad part though is the fact that it is not just the adults that are suffering from it but as well as the children even in the primary school. The obesity among the young people nowadays is being considered as an epidemic that quickly spreads. The disease and the symptoms of it are being seen in all parts of the world today from the third world countries to the richest ones. It cannot be denied that children of today are perceived to have a higher level of fatness in their body. Their weight and height are not proportion as well as the circumference of their weight are bigger than the normal body structure of children. In the society today, it can be seen that being fat is not a cool thing. It is not something that everyone will be proud of (Keller, 2008). But despite such societal thinking, many are still suffering from obesity. It does not even come close to preventing the disease from spreading among the children. This can be a direct cause of parents thinking that fat children are cute. Since time immemorial, fat children are cute, huggable and many people like them. It is for this reason that many parents are allowing their children to eat as much as they can without worrying as to whether or not such excessive eating will be detrimental to the health of the children. Added to the spread of obesity among the children nowadays is the excessive amount of time being spent in front of the television and computer. Such exposure causes the children to eliminate the time for exercising and other physical activities. They are spending their time watching the television with popcorns and soda. Hence, the diet of the children is no longer being controlled. The amount of calories that they are indulging themselves with are not being burned to energy because of lack of physical activities. In addition, it cannot be denied that television always shows advertisement of restaurants and food which is persuading the children to buy food more. The children are easily persuaded by good advertisements. In recent study conducted, it has been found out that children aged 2-6 years old are more likely to ask their parents to buy them the food that they have found and encountered in the television that what has been prepared by their parents at the dining table (Levy-Navarro, 2008).

Assessment of Training Needs of the Audience

The spread of the obesity among the children should be prevented in any case and ways possible. They should be trained to become responsible children in the aspect of food-intake in order to ensure that they will only eat the right foods that will make them healthier. There are possible methods to which the students can be trained to becoming more health conscious even at a very young age to prevent obesity. One is by setting limit on the time that the children are spending in engaging and in doing activities that are passive. Passive activities that the children love doing are watching television and computer. They could really spend long hours in front of the television just watching their favorite shows or movies. However, some of them love surfing on the internet or engaging themselves in playing computer games. These activities are passive in nature and do not require physical efforts. Hence, the parents should limit the time that their children are spending with television and computers. Rather, more time on family games and interaction with friends by playing basketball or walking in the park should be encouraged. By this way, the children are getting enough exercise that would burn the calories into energy. If this is the kind of training that the children will be exposed to, it can never be denied that the rate of obesity among them will be reduced into a great percentage. It has to be understood that the children in the primary school need to be exposed in various activities that entail physical effort. In such a way, proper health and the importance of exercise can be instilled in their minds as early as now. It is a proven fact that if the children are taught something during their young age, they will eventually develop such teaching into a lifestyle which will prove to be beneficial to them. Parents should learn to bond with their children in various outdoor activities in so far as their health are concern and in so far as training them is concerned all for the purpose of eliminating obesity to the primary school students (Pool, 2001). Inadequate nutrition is also one of the primary problems that are causing obesity among the primary school children. It must be noted that this is the age wherein the children are into junk foods, chocolates, meat, french fries and fried chicken. Hence, it has become important that the importance of food selection be taught to the children. In schools and at home, it is very crucial that the importance and value of eating vegetables and fish be established. The children at their very young age must be taught to eat vegetables and fishes in order to make them healthier and stronger. Without proper nutrition, the children can be easily inflicted with different diseases. Obesity is of no difference with malnutrition. While malnutrition deteriorates the health of the children obesity does the same. The impact of obesity cannot be hidden nor disguised with having so many foods to eat. Without proper nutrition and without being able to meet the nutritional needs of the children, the health will deteriorate regardless of whether there is more food in the table or none.

Designed Lesson Plan for Health Education Session

For the process of educating the primary school children and their parents on the importance of proper nutrition, it is best to use the comprehensive primary health care method as the main strategy. It cannot be denied that this kind of strategy will not just involve the family and the children but the whole society as well because it entails collaboration among the members of the society. There is a need in focusing not just on the mere prevention of obesity among the primary school children but also in promoting eradication of the disease. Hence, since the community is likewise being involved in the process, it has become more important to ensure that the community will get the message of the importance of the proper nutrition. Under this lies the teaching of several physical activities that can be done by the families and the communities in general. Meaning to say, alternatives on outdoor activities will be given focus in order to engage the children in doing physical activities as a form of their exercise rather than spending most of their times in their houses doing nothing but watching in the television and playing computer games. Aside from this, seminars and conferences will be made as well in order to educate the society and the community of the bad effects of obesity in the health of the children and to develop total awareness of the means and ways as to how to eradicate the problem of obesity among the children. It is likewise important to conduct seminars wherein a focus on the process of reducing weight, establishment of support groups and creating eating plans will be made. There is no other way to heal those who are suffering from obesity than to ensure that they will lose the excess fats in the body which can only be attain by reducing food intake and regular exercise. The plan for health education session will include the different exercises that can help attain the necessary weight prescribed by the doctors (Bond, 1994). The application of exercise among the children is crucial because even if the doctors want to reduce the rate of obesity, it is only under the guidance of a physician that an exercise will be made possible. Although many technology systems exist today to improve the administrative efficiency of traditional home health care and DM, broader and more coordinated use of these technologies promises to extend the reach and touch of home health and DM providers. Heart failure offers a good example. Some five million people in the United States are living with heart failure and more than half a million new cases are reported annually. Most patients are elderly, and one half of all heart failure patients have three or more other medical conditions. Managing heart failure is a challenge because patients and caregivers must monitor a range of factors, such as diet and weight, blood pressure, and medications. Heart failure patients should weigh themselves daily as a means to detect fluid accumulation as an early warning sign. Home monitors that prompt patients to weigh themselves, and then automatically transmit the data to a coordinating, centralized DM or home health care service, alert medical professionals if patients may be beginning to decompensate (Keller, 2008).

Evaluation Model

These factors include whether the diagnosis is correct, whether the “right” treatment is selected (with the “right” treatment varying, depending on the underlying diagnosis and patient preferences), whether the treatment is performed in a technically competent manner, whether service quality is adequate, and whether consumers can access the care they desire. Information is necessary for consumers to make decisions regarding their care, and determine how well the health care system is meeting their needs. If we focus strictly on technical measures, what is known about the quality of health care in the United States? Commentators and panelists agree that the vast majority of patients receive the care they need, but there is still significant room for improvement. Commentators and panelists note that treatment patterns vary significantly; procedures of known value are omitted, and treatments that are unnecessary and inefficacious are performed and tens of billions of dollars are spent annually on services whose value is questionable or non-existent. As one commentator stated, “quality problems . . . abound in American medicine. The majority of these problems are not rare, unpredictable, or inevitable concomitants of the delivery of complex, modern health care. Rather, they are frighteningly common, often predictable, and frequently preventable.” Hence, competition is ever increasing and because of this it is important that every motivating factor will be exerted and prioritized to provide for the betterment of the health care management system (Bentes, 2004). The society wants the health care system to be more responsive to their needs, values, and preferences. In turn, this translates into growing demands for the application of technology that enables patients to remain independent and to see and control their own health information and medical care. It also will require the use of technology to make the care process more patients centered and convenient. The second critical factor is the burden of chronic disease. “For several decades, the health care needs of the American people have been shifting from predominately acute care to chronic care. Today, chronic conditions are the leading cause of illness, disability and death in the United States”. In 20 years, from 2000 to 2020, the number of Americans with chronic conditions is likely to grow by 25% (Kopelman, 2005). The need for DM and home health care is going to continue to increase. Disease management and home health care must adapt, look for ways to complement each other, and contribute to the redesign of care systems and the adoption of technology to shift from today’s focus on acute and emergency care toward providing planned, proactive care that helps manage chronic disease.

Conclusion

The society has an aging population with ever-increasing health care problems and service needs, demands for more patient-centered and responsive care delivery, and a growing burden of chronic disease, but a shortage of caregivers, most of whom still work in care systems designed primarily to focus on acute and urgent care. To successfully navigate the storm, our nation’s health care system should look to innovative approaches that are able to effectively and intelligently leverage new technologies, work seamlessly across the health care continuum to coordinate care, and create broad-based efficiencies in the use of human and capital resources. There simply will not be enough nurses or other caregivers to do otherwise. Consider the impact of integrated, collaborative systems that could help people measure their body’s metrics on a regular basis. Today, although we are able to instantly track merchandise being shipped across continents or recall in a few keystrokes what the weather was 2 years ago in Any Town, USA, we have no comparable systems in place when it comes to individual health status. Most patients only get their blood pressure or pulse checked at their doctor’s office. Much of the regulatory framework arose haphazardly, with little consideration of how the pieces fit together, or how the pieces could exacerbate anticompetitive tendencies of the overall structure. Proposals for new regulatory interventions have often focused solely on their claimed benefits, instead of considering their likely costs, where proposals fit into the larger regulatory framework, and whether proposals frustrate competition unnecessarily. Failure to consider such matters can reinforce existing regulatory imperfections and reward incumbent interests. Indeed, in health care, obesity should be given top priority in providing solutions to health-related problems.