Obesity in childhood. Factors Related to the Selected Community Issue

Obesity in Childhood
Name
Institutional Affiliation
 Obesity in Childhood
 Abstract
Childhood obesity has become a pressing issue in both developed and developing countries. According to Sahoo et al. (2015), overweight and obesity in children attracts health and psychological concerns. Children that are obese find it difficult to engage in normal physical activities. Obesity is a health condition caused by accumulation of fats in the body to the extent that the affected person is at risk of developing adverse factors associated with health. They are also affected psychologically because they think that they are the center of attention in their environmental setting. Scholars have found that children with obesity are at the highest risk of contracting diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Tutors, researchers, and parents have been concerned about the increasing cases of childhood obesity. Scholars have been specifically interested in the methods of preventing obesity and countering its causes. Different research institutions have engaged in aggressive research work to determine the gravity and cause of obesity and how it can be managed, considering that there are high chances of childhood obesity progressing into adulthood. There is, therefore, a need for stakeholders to work together in reducing prevalence of obesity in children. The stakeholders in this case include parents, teachers, and community nurses. Introduction 
Childhood Obesity
Pulgaron (2013) defines obesity as a state of excessive accumulation of fats in the body to the extent that it attracts adverse health effects. Obesity starts in childhood and progresses throughout the stages of human development (Blaine et al., 2017). Effective management and prevention strategies should focus on both those that have already been affected and those in danger of developing this disorder. According to Parikh, Masson, and Williams (2016), children with obesity are at the highest risk of contracting diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.  Two types of programs have proved effective in the management and prevention of obesity. School-based programs include engagement in physical activities and teaching children on proper diet management (Pulgaron (2013). Home-based programs are the ones that focus on modification of nutrition at home. Home-based programs also include regulation of screen-time for children and encouraging them to take part in physical fitness activities. The third approach which has been used in a limited scale is the clinical approach that involves use of drugs to reduce calories in the body. To yield positive outcomes, one would consider mixing home-based programs with school-based programs for effective outcomes. In childhood stage of development, parents play a crucial role in determining the quality of nutrition for their children. Parents are the major decision makers when it comes to nutritional and diet requirements for their children. The advantage of combatting obesity at the childhood level is that it prevents its prevalence in adulthood.
Factors Related to the Selected Community Issue
Several factors have played a role in the prevalence of obesity in children. Some of these factors st...