Title
A rationale for the development of the Creating a Healthy Body campaign submitted by Tara Muir-Miles.
Identify Health Problem
Childhood obesity in the United States is a major topic of health concern with more than one-third of children and adolescents being overweight or at risk for being overweight according to a 2007-2008 study (Snelling, 2013). In a more recent survey by National Health and Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2001-2012, “approximately 17.7 percent of children ages 6-11 are obese,” or nearly one in five children. (Brown, 2017). The costs associated with obesity and the related chronic diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease are becoming increasingly burdensome to society and industries. The cost of these three obesity related conditions has been estimated to be more than $200 billion annually in health care costs and lost productivity (Thompson, 2007). Obesity impacts workplace productivity, performance, and attendance and cost U.S. companies more than $13 billion annually, while other obesity related health issues cost more than $100 billion annually (Thompson, 2007).
Narrow Health Problem
13.2% of children age ten to seventeen are obese in Virginia (Robert Wood Foundation, N.D). In order to prevent childhood obesity, which may lead to other chronic conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers, children and adolescents must develop healthy eating behaviors. Given the previous information, it is imperative that we teach elementary school age children in Loudoun County, Virginia the difference between healthy and unhealthy snacking, why eating healthy is important, and provide them with the necessary skill set and support system to improve their dietary behaviors. In addition to the consumption of high caloric low nutrient value foods, studies have shown that engaging in excessive sedentary behaviors such television and computer time have made a substantial contribution to the childhood obesity epidemic (Pandita, Sharma, Pandita, Pawar, Tariq, & Kaul, 2016).
State a Proposed Solution
Research has shown that it is easier and more effective to prevent childhood obesity than trying to treat those who are already suffering from obesity (Herbert, Lohrmann, Seo, Stright, & Kolbe, 2013). A proposed solution to the obesity epedemic is to increase student knowledge regarding healthy eating habits in conjunction with school policy to reduce the availability of competitive foods and increase the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the school day. Competitive foods, which are usually high in calories and low in nutritional value, contribute to an unhealthy diet, which has been linked to increased obesity rates in youth populations (Long, Luedicke, Dorsey, Fiore, & Henderson, 2013). Including in class nutrition and physical fitness information, such as the program developed for a select group of elementary schools in Indiana called Energize, may help promote behavior and lifestyle changes at the elementary school age level (Herbert et al., 2013). Additionally, reducing daily screen time to less than two hours a day and replacing sedentary behaviors with active games, as well as including daily physical fitness activities, will help to reduce the incidence of childhood obesity (Pandita et al., 2016). Furthermore, simply providing information about the health consequences of becoming obese has not been shown to be an effective way to prevent adolescent obesity. Using constructs of the behavior change model has been shown to be effective in studies of childhood obesity. Self-monitoring, positive reinforcement, and stimulus control are some of the techniques that have shown positive results in the habits of school-aged children (Pandita et al., 2016).
State Gains
The ultimate goal of the Loudoun County School district is to provide a safe, healthy, and successful learning experience for their students. It is important for children in the elementary school age range to consume adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals such as zinc, iron and calcium for proper growth and development as indicated by the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) (Brown, 2017). Evidence also shows that students who have a balanced diet in line with the recommendations from the RDA have reduced absenteeism, better memory, and are more focused in class. Inversely, students who lack sufficient intakes of fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, may have inadequate intakes of vitamins and minerals, which are related decreased academic performance (CDC, 2014).
State Why Program will Succeed
Public schools are in the unique position to help influence children’s eating habits considering many eat breakfast, lunch, and snacks at school. Limiting the amount of unhealthy competitive food, providing more access to fruits and vegetables, and providing nutrition education in a classroom setting will lead to increased nutritional knowledge and behavioral changes among the student population.
References
Brown, J.E. (2017) Nutrition through the lifecycle (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, Inc.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Health and academic achievement. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/pdf/health-academic-achievement.pdf.
Herbert, P.C., Lohrmann, D.K., Seo, D‐C, Stright, A.D., & Kolbe, L.J. (2013). Effectiveness of the Energize elementary school program to improve diet and exercise. Journal of School Health, 83(11). https://doi-org.proxyau.wrlc.org/10.1111/josh.12094
Long, M. W., Luedicke, J., Dorsey, M., Fiore, S.S., & Henderson, K. E. (2013). Impact of Connecticut legislation incentivizing elimination of unhealthy competitive foods on national school lunch program participation. American Journal of Public Health, 103(7), E59-E66. Retrieved from
Pandita, A., Sharma, D., Pandita, D., Pawar, S., Tariq, M., & Kaul, A. (2016). Childhood obesity: prevention is better than cure. Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy, 9, 83–89. https://doi.org/10.2147/DMSO.S90783
Snelling, Anastasia, PhD., R.D. (2013). A community-academic partnership to promote student health and education outcomes. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 24, 97-102. doi: http://dx.doi.org.proxyau.wrlc.org/10.1353/hpu.2013.0110
Thompson, D. L. (2007). The Costs of Obesity: What occupational health nurses need to know. AAOHN Journal, 55(7), 265–270. https://doi.org/10.1177/216507990705500702
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (N/D). State of Childhood Obesity. Retrieved from https://stateofchildhoodobesity.org/states/va/
Reflection and Growth:
The feedback that I received for my program rationale suggested that I include behaviors that were related to the obesity epidemic plaguing this age group. One of the lifestyle behaviors related to elevated obesity rates within this population is excessive sedentary choices like television and computer screen time. It was also recommended that I include why education is relevant to addressing childhood obesity and propose solutions like behavior changes. These items were addressed as I provided peer reviewed citations regarding the importance of health education, promotion of behavior change, and the importance of the constructs of the behavior change model.