Population Health (Childhood Obesity) Health, Medicine Research Paper

Childhood Obesity
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Childhood Obesity
Childhood obesity is increasingly becoming a major public health concern. The prevalence of childhood obesity in the US increased by almost 50% in the period between 1980 and 2013. The number of obese children in the world stood at over 40 million in 2017. The number is expected to hit 70 million by 2025 if adequate measures are not taken (World Health Organization, 2017). It is a condition where excess fat accumulates in the body of a child or an adolescent. It affects the physical and psychological well-being of the affected population. Psychologically, obese children are usually bullied, discriminated and stereotyped. This may lead to low self-esteem and depression. Obese children are also at a higher predisposition to heart diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, among other disorders. Due to the difficulties associated with measuring body fat, body mass index (BMI) is used to diagnose childhood obesity. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a BMI greater than 95th percentile should be defined as obese, while a BMI greater than the 85th percentile is considered overweight. Childhood obesity is brought about by a combination of factors. Genetics, family practices, social policies, as well as socioeconomic status are some of them (Rogers et al., 2015). Dietary interventions, change of lifestyle, as well as more involvement in physical activity are the major ways of preventing childhood obesity. This paper seeks two past advocacy campaigns that were carried out to help address the problem and also propose a plan to address the challenge.
Campaign To End Obesity
This advocacy campaign was founded to address the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity in the US and the burden the epidemic placed on taxpayers, communities, businesses, and individuals every year. Though various measures can be taken to address the childhood obesity menace, the most effective measures lie at the national policy-making level. Policies that can effectively help address the challenge include those that allow more Americans to be physically active and eat healthy as well as those that seek to provide medical care for those affected. Unfortunately, there exists a gap in the formulation and implementation of policies that address these issues. The Campaign To End Obesity was formed to bridge these gaps. It brings policymakers, public health specialists, academicians and various players in the industry together with the aim of providing the information and guidance needed by decision-makers to make policies that will help reverse the epidemic (Campaign To End Obesity, 2014).
The main challenge that the advocacy campaign faces is the lack of understanding of the causes of obesity. The majority of the population largely simplifies the causes. Most of the times, the problem is solely attributed to personal accountability. The campaign acknowledges that obesity is brought about by a wide array of causes. Therefore, a comprehensive approach is required to tackle the challenge — the attitudes of the Congress towards investing in the prevention and treatment of people suffering from the condition. Considering the high spen...