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Cost Effectiveness Analysis on Childhood Obesity

   

Added on  2021-06-18

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Running Head: COST EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS ON CHILDHOOD OBESITYImplementing eating disorder screening in schoolsName:Institution:Date:

COST EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY 2Cost effectiveness analysis on childhood obesityIntroductionChildhood and adolescent obesity is among the most serious public health challenge in the 21stcentury globally. It has been described as an emerging pandemic of the new millennium. It affects all socio-economic groups irrespective of their sex and ethnicity (Cali & Caprio 2008). Obesity is a threat to the mental and physical health of the school going children resulting to enormous health consequences such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerotic changes, high blood pressure and increased risk of morbidity as well as reduced life expectancy (Field, 2014). In addition, overweight children are also more prone to psychological effects and depression, these affecting girls more than the boys. In the United States, between 16%and 33% of children and teenagers are overweight. It is easily recognizable, however it’s one of the most difficult disorders to treat. Usually, a child is not considered obese until the weight is 10% more than the recommended depending on their height and body type. Unless these overweight children change their eating habits and lifestyle, then they are likely to have a more complicated adult life socially, psychologically and health wise (Hummel-Rossi & Ashdown, 2002).Among the factors leading to increased cases of obesity include; genetics, where children inherit these genes from their parents and relatives, sedentary behavior which refers to being inactive and not performing physical activities. Poor eating habits is also a critical cause of obesity, where children feed on junk and snacks at the expense of fruits, vegetables and drinking plenty of water. Consequently, obesity results to sociological and psychological effects. Sociologically, children suffering from obesity are not able to relate well with their peers. They are stigmatized and bullied which results to their low self-esteem. They are described as being ugly, greedy and mean (Erdol, Mazzucco & Boccia, 2014). The victimization comes from their age mates as well as those older than them and they end up having the impression that they are lesser members of the society and that do not deserve to be loved. The harassment does not only happen in school, research indicates that even parents and siblings to the obese children tend to tease them about their weight especially financially, where obese kids receive less pocket money,yet they are expected to feel a lot of love and warmth from their homes.

COST EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY 3Physical and sociological effects of obesity are visible, therefore dealing with them becomes quite easy however it is difficult to handle the psychological effects resulting from obesity since they cannot be easily noticed. The psychological effects include lowered self-esteem and depression and if not well handled and taken care of, these children may end up committing suicide (Cali & Caprio, 2008).Cost effectiveness analysisHaving identified that obesity is a life-threatening issue, and if not well handled it could destroy the future generations, it is clear that a lot needs to be done to secure a bright future for our children. Measures have to be taken to ensure that all school going children are assisted to identify their Body mass index (BMI). Governor Bob McDonnell signed a bill on the screening of children in schools and the results sent to their parents. The children found to be overweight should not be discriminated, rather they require help on healthy eating and doing body exercise. Those found to be healthy should be encouraged to keep up and live healthy lives. Some stakeholders are in support of the effectiveness of interventions in dealing with obesity in teenagers, however, it is not clear whether the interventions should be conducted and publicly financed. Therefore, the stakeholders in question need to consider the general outcome and cost of obesity.Cost-effectiveness analysis refers to an economic evaluation system applied in resource allocation. It compares the costs and benefits of competing substitutes and alternatives. It can also be defined as a method designed to assess the comparative impacts of expenditures on different health interventions (Edwards, 2011). A number of Cost-effectiveness analysis on child obesity have been conducted, however they provide very little amount of information. In addition, the studies conducted did not pay attention to the features of economic models use of quality adjusted life year (QALYs) versus disability-adjusted life year (DALYs), the suitable amount of discount and finally the analysis of cost-effectiveness. A research on long term and intermediate cost-utility on teenage and child obesity with proper examination of costs and outcomes is yet to be conducted. The process of economic assessment takes place in four major steps, the first one being the identification of the current situation; that is recognizing where we stand currently on the issue of obesity. The second stage is identifying the possible interventions that have to be carried out to get ourselves out of the current situation. The third step involves

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