PREVENTION OF OBESITY IN CHILDHOOD

Introduction

In this assignment I will endeavour to tackle the prevention of obesity in childhood as an aspect of health promotion. The rationale of choosing this topic is that obesity and overweight increase the risk of contracting world killer diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes .The prevalence of obesity in United Kingdom and other countries and the cost to National Health Service and economy will be looked into. An analysis of the behavioural change model and how it relates to health promotion initiatives will be discussed. The role of a nurse and other professionals with regards to heath education and health promotion will be highlighted.

What is health The World Health Organisation (WHO 1986)defines health as a state of complete physical ,mental and social well being and not just the absence of disease and infirmity. Forster (2002) confirms that health is generally seen in terms of people being ill or well but indicates that this is a simplistic view, as being well or ill are not entirely separate notions but in fact overlap to some degree. Forster(2002) while concurring with the definition of health as provided by the WHO (1986) adds that this definition provides a positive view of health and suggest that health fluctuates over time along a continuum, good and poor health appearing at opposite poles of the continuum.

Ewles and Simnett(2003) also suggest that health is determined by many factors such as Physical health, body function, Societal health living accomodation ,employment status , Spiritual health, religious beliefs and moral values or behaviours, Social health being able to sustain relationships and make friends, Emotional health the ability to cope with depression, stress and anxiety. Therefore an individuals health position along this continuum is variable but no distinct demarcation line between health and ill health exists. With regards to the definition given it is argued that health professionals interventions should focus on helping the clients ,individuals, families and communities to gain health related knowledge, attitudes and practice associated towards achieving certain behaviours.

Obesity and associated problems.Obesity is a condition of excess body fat associated with increased risks such as diabetes, cardiovascular and other common diseases (Beebe 2008) and (Campbell and Haslam 2005). Like smoking eating is a complex combination of behaviour driven by social and psychological factors as well as biological compulsion (Croghan and Johnson 2005).They went on to say that people eat fast food because it is socially accepted. For example some fast foods have high fat and high sugar content and people tend to overeat them because they are the most palatable and provide pleasure. The prevention and management of obesity has been a national governmental policy for a number of years according to the Chief Medical Officer,s Annual Report 2002,(DoH 2003).Obesity has been highlighted as a health time bomb and seen as a challenge for the government as a whole (DoH 2003).The World Health Organisation,(WHO 1998) has described obesity as a global epidemic as evidenced by the growing trends in most developed countries.

Obesity in childhood carries health risks in both short and long term. Marshall et al (2003) agreed with Bond et al (2004) that obesity has been recognized as a major health problem as it is linked to number of diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes .Obesity is known as a major risk factor in the development of many diseases such as arthritis of weight –bearing joints, gastro esophageal reflux, sleep apnea and certain types of cancer,(Bond et al 2004).Therefore obesity can influence physical, intellectual ,emotional and social development influencing childhood .It is for the above reason that long term eating and exercise habits need to be promoted in health and stop obesity in childhood years. Primary care should play a leading role in obesity management and prevention. The above statement is supported by the document Choosing Health ;Making Healthier Choices Easier (DoH 2004) which identified primary care as crucial to the provision of services for overweight and obese clients.

Obesity is associated with many