Childhood Obesity in Australia

Running head: CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN AUSTRALIA 1
Childhood Obesity in Australia
Name
Institution

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Childhood Obesity in Australia
Introduction
Obesity in childhood is now one of Australia's real health problems of concern. The
rising predominance rate and health impacts of obesity particularly among children in the range
of 6 and 17 years have rendered it to be viewed as an issue in Australia (Magee, Caputi and
Iverson, 2013). All things considered, it has now turned into a noteworthy focus of various health
advancement campaigns formed in Australia by governmental and non-administrative offices
(Denney-Wilson et al, 2013). Likewise, the predominance has set off the foundation of various
health advancement programs around the nation utilizing distinctive methodologies which plan
to accomplish more advantageous weight and to limit the effect of obesity in children in
Australia.
Besides, the part of health professionals in giving health training to guardians and groups
and in setting up successful childhood obesity prevention procedures has turned out to be more
essential. The paper addresses the high obesity prevalence issue in the current years among
Australian children aged between 6 and 17 years. It examines and evaluates issues related to
childhood obesity prevalence in Australian, prevention programs and the processes involved in
planning, implementation, and evaluation, prevention strategies adopted and the role of health
professional in prevention.
Prevalence of obesity in children
Obesity refers to a condition resulting from an imbalance between the number of calories
consumed versus calories utilized, leading to excessive or abnormal accumulation of fats in the
body (Zimmet, 2014). The most accepted parameter for obesity is Body Mass Index (BMI)
which is the ratio of body weight to height and helps to determine total fat of the body

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(Wickramasinghe et al, 2015). As Zimmet (2014) explains, obesity does not happen on its own
but it is comprised of different disorder expressed as the phenotype of obese. It includes complex
etiological links between metabolic, neural and framework of genetic on one hand and habits in
food consumptions, social-cultural factors, behavior and physical activities on the other hand
(Zimmet, 2014). Therefore, obesity should not be overviewed as just a cause of poor nutrition
habits or inactivity, as it is usually perceived. It should be treated like other diseases.
The prevalence of obesity among Australian children aged between 6 and 17 years has
been steadily rising over the last two decades. Statistics published by Australian Bureau of
Statistics in (ABS) January 2013 indicate that around 25 percent of Australian children aged
between 6 and 17 years (27 girls percent and 24 boys percent) are either overweight or obese
(Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). In 2012, National Children’s Nutrition and Physical
Activity Survey indicated that 6 percent of children aged between 5 and 17 years were obese
(Tseng et al, 2013). According to ABS statistics, the rate of obesity among boys in Australia
aged between 6 and 12 years increased from 4 percent in 1995 to 7 percent in 2012.
On the other hand, the rate of obesity among girls aged between 13 and 18 percent rose
from 13 percent to 18 percent over the same period (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013).
Generally, the statistical trends indicate that the obesity prevalence among Australian children
will continue increasing if no effective intervention strategies are adopted. This issue is of great
concern since studies have shown that children who are obese are likely to stay obese in
childhood. In this regard, obesity among Australian children can be regarded as an epidemic and
a social problem that requires being addressed urgently through effective strategies.

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Prevention programs of childhood obesity
There are three phases of obesity aversion which incorporate primary, secondary, and
tertiary. The primary prevention strategies involve the evidence-based obesity avoidance
program modules that are executed in healthcare clinics, preschools, community settings and in
the elementary schools; this modules comprise the CATCH (Coordinated Approach To Child
Health) program in the elementary schools, health matters – involving Active Communities,
health promotion, and growth as well as the environmental alteration of the training programs. It
incorporates approaches for counteracting weight gain or decreasing weight, for example,
legitimate nutrition and physical exercises. The secondary preventive strategies involve an
intensive three month phase which involves the application of the MEND (Mind Exercise
Nutrition Do it!) programs in schools for pupils aging between 6 to 12 years and in preschools
for children aging between 2 to 5 years, this program was coupled by a variety of community-
level activities, CATCH activities. For this reason, the secondary counteractive action stage is
custom fitted towards limiting the advance of obesity once it starts. This stage includes strategies
that assist to distinguish and to treat pre-clinical obsessive changes, for example, Hemoccult
stool testing and colonoscopy screening keeping in mind the end goal to avert the obesity
progression (Blass, 2016).
Tertiary prevention involves the strategies of; meal replacements, intake of very-low-
calorie diets, bariatric surgery and weight-loss medications within a specific population in
reducing and managing the hostility of obesity, especially in the children. The tertiary prevention
stage focuses on diminishing the disability coming from obesity that has advanced to a severe
stage. It incorporates activities concentrating on decreasing the effect of obesity, in this way

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improving the patient's capacity, personal satisfaction and increase the lifespan (Mukhtar, 2013).
A decent case of tertiary prevention is the cardiovascular recovery of a patient who has
experienced myocardial dead tissue. The efforts to oversee obesity ought to be extensive, in other
words, the efforts ought to be centered on children who are at high danger of developing obesity,
people who are developing obesity and furthermore people with obesity that has advanced to an
intense stage (Barnett and Kumar, 2014). However, greater attention ought to be given to
individuals who are in danger of building up the condition. This contention depends on the
preface that prevention is superior to cure.
Planning of the childhood obesity prevention programs
The prevention of childhood obesity is complex and should incorporate the different level
of intervention ranging from the individual, community to the national level and different
professionals from various disciplines such as nutritionists, family members, nurses and
community members. The planning process of childhood obesity starts with forming a planning
team that includes the health professionals, target population representatives, and leaders in the
community (DiMaria-Ghalili et al, 2014). The planning process will start with the current
situation assessment including the issues that lead to higher rates of diabetes and the resources
that are available for change. The parameters that will be considered include the dietary pattern
frequency, patterns in the physical activity, supply of food in the community and schools and
identifying any health program that has addressed the problem of the childhood obesity
(Allender, 2014).
The perceptions of the children about obesity should also be included in the planning
processes. The assessment of the current situation is required to determine the extent of the
problem. Identification of target for change and setting of the objective is also vital in the

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planning process which will suggest if the childhood obesity can be done at the individual,
family or community level and the objectives will guide the researchers on what will be done.
The high predominance of weight in Australia has set off the foundation of tremendous aversion
prevention program activities around Australia. There are various government and non-
administrative organizations and projects concentrating on obesity counteractive action. Huge
participation by Australian Federal government on obesity counteractive action began in 2008
when the obesity condition was included in 'National Health Priorities in Australia (National
Obesity Taskforce, 2016).
Accordingly, the national government built up a vital and far-reaching program for
weight known as Annual Australian Obesity Summit. The central government has additionally
been reacting to the issue of expanded obesity in children through the Department of Health and
Aging and projects. Provincial governments likewise assume a part in obesity prevention through
state divisions and offices. Besides, there are non-administrative offices and projects that are
forcefully engaged with the childhood obesity counteractive action campaign. They include
Obesity Australia, Obesity Prevention Australia, and Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle. As
Denney-Wilson et al (2013) contend, adequacy in obesity counteractive action must be
accomplished in the wake of consolidating both the prevention endeavors of the administration
and non-government associations.
Implementation of the childhood obesity prevention programs
For the effective implementation of the childhood obesity prevention programs, the
processes of implementation will be divided into various levels of individual, family and
community level. Regarding prevention at the community levels, the obesity prevention
component will be included in the school program by increasing availability of healthy food

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choices at the youth gatherings, increasing recreational facilities and modifying the social
perception of obesity and healthy lifestyle behaviors through campaigns (Bhutta et al, 2013).
At the family level, the prevention program should ensure that there is the availability of
healthy food in the household. More so, the family should support the children to adopt healthy
lifestyle behaviors. At the individual level, the processes involved include reduction of barriers
that can enhance the activity and dietary patterns. The knowledge about the gravity of childhood
obesity will be promoted to increase the future impact that could result to greater awareness on
the advantages of changing lifestyle behaviors. The implementation processes will depend on the
planning process and availability of resources (Sallis Owen and Fisher, 2015).
Evaluation of the childhood prevention program
Evidently, evaluation is an integral component of the planning process. It justifies the
resources used and gives direction for future action. Evaluation of the prevention program of
childhood obesity will determine if the program was implemented as planned or if the objectives
were achieved. After a period of one year, a re-survey will be conducted by using the same
procedures. After acquiring the information, the information will be analyzed and the trends
compared. This will give an overview of the prevention program have helped to achieve the
objective of reducing through changes in the lifestyle and diet (Reynolds et al, 2015).
The first strategy adopted in childhood obesity prevention program in Australia is
addressing lifestyle. The prevention programs are custom fitted to make people mindful of the
advantages of lessening the obesity in children through getting sound nourishments in schools,
successful parental care, gaining admittance to solid and reasonable sustenance, decreasing
substance exposures to children, adhering to a good diet propensities, and participating in
physical exercises (Zimmet, 2014).

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The second system embraced by prevention program is giving treatment where the
change in lifestyle has neglected to accomplish the proposed outcomes. Most projects give
different medications which help to lessen or control weight in situations where obesity is
creating itself or has advanced to a severe stage. Health promoters likewise give instruction to
guardians on approaches to oversee children obesity, particularly where it has developed to a
severe stage. Some exploration programs center on inventing new and more powerful methods
for controlling obesity in children. Likewise, the government has been the demoralizing offering
of intense calories sustenance through tax collection approaches (Mavoa, 2013). As Reynolds et
al (2015) contend, the best obesity aversion approach is one that tends to address the changes in
lifestyle. It is more advantageous to center on health plans and physical activity than to center
around the undesirable effects of obesity.
Health professionals have a greater chance to elevate exercises that assist to forestall or to
control the obesity in children. To begin with, their endeavors may enlarge the experiencing
effort activities through giving instruction to patients, groups and families on issues identified in
childhood obesity (Lazarou and Kouta, 2013; Friis and Sellers, 2015; Gibbs et al, 2014).
Unequivocally, the health professionals are mandated to instruct families and groups with respect
to the circumstances and end results of corpulence among children and methods for aversion.
For instance, they can lessen obesity in children by offering guidance to guardians on
nourishment, customary suppers, physical movement, and weight. School and group health
professionals may use research-based evidence in planning health advancement for various
population fragments. As Lazarou and Kouta (2013) contend, health professionals have a chance
to comprehend the social and mental parameters that influence the health practices of children

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and adolescent with obesity. It is hence fundamental that they use such data in giving the best
treatment to children with obesity.
Conclusion
Conclusively, the high and increasing rate of obesity among Australian children has
rendered it to be regarded as a major health concern. Statistical trends indicate that the rate of
obesity will increase further in the future if no effective intervention strategies are adopted. As
mentioned, primary prevention (addressing lifestyle) is the more effective than providing the
treatment where the condition is developing or has developed to an acute stage. The campaigns
to prevent childhood obesity can be more fruitful if the efforts of the government and non-
governmental agencies are combined (Hearn, Miller, Campbell-Pope and Waters, 2017).
Established campaign programs use different strategies to prevent obesity but as noted, the one
that addresses lifestyle is the most effective. Finally, nurses have a role in obesity prevention
through providing counseling to families and communities on issues related to obesity as well as
in designing the best health promotion approaches to obese children.

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