Health Promotion Strategies: Addressing Childhood Obesity

This assignment explores the impact of socioeconomic factors on health, highlighting the inequalities in access to healthcare. It examines the role of government sources in reporting health disparities and the importance of health professionals in promoting healthy lifestyles. The assignment focuses on childhood obesity, analyzing the health beliefs of teenagers and the potential conflicts with the fast food industry. It concludes with a proposed health promotion campaign aimed at addressing this issue, outlining its objectives and strategies.

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INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................2
TASK 1..........................................................................................................................................................3
The Effects Of Socioeconomic Influences On Health...............................................................................3
The Relevance Of Government Sources In Reporting On Inequalities In Health.....................................5
TASK 2..........................................................................................................................................................8
The Importance Of Ayesha Providing Relevant Health-Related Information To The Public....................8
The Health Beliefs Of Teenagers Governing Their Food Consumption And Physical Activity Relate To
Theories Of Health Behavior....................................................................................................................9
The Potential Conflicts That Ayesha Will Encounter With The Local Fast Food Industry On Health
Promotion..............................................................................................................................................10
TASK 3........................................................................................................................................................11
The Links Between Government Strategies And Models Of Health Promotion.....................................11
Role Of Professionals.............................................................................................................................12
TASK 4........................................................................................................................................................13
A Health Promotion Campaign That Meets Specific Health And Social Care Objectives.......................13
Explain How That Health Promotion Campaign Supports Health Promotion Strategies.......................14
CONCLUSION.............................................................................................................................................15
REFERENCES:.............................................................................................................................................17

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INTRODUCTION
The health promotion strategies devised and implemented by the government play a very crucial role in
determining the quality of life and health conditions of the population. This assignment will focus upon
the effects socio-economical factors have on health, the barriers in accessing the healthcare facilities
and a thorough discussion upon health inequalities will be done. The importance of government sources
and healthcare professionals in promoting health will be discussed and to enhance the learning a health
promotion campaign will be planned. The major issue of increasing childhood obesity will be looked
upon and strategies will be discussed based on the theories and models of beliefs.

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TASK 1
The Effects Of Socioeconomic Influences On Health
The health of any individual is strongly influenced by the lifestyle beliefs and the environment one lives
and works. The major factors determining the health and living standards of an individual are the social
and economic or the socio-economic determinants of health. These factors are comprised of physical
and social environment in which an individual lives and the quality of health care services one gets.
Among these determinants a few are discussed as follows:
Socioeconomic status: the people belonging to lower socioeconomic status group have difficulties living
their lives on a daily basis. Insecurity with the employment and challenging socio economic
circumstances make their life stressful and they suffer from psychological and physical conditions more
likely than people belonging to higher strata. Life expectancy among this group of people has also been
found to be reduced compared to people with a good socioeconomic status.
Stressful living: the social, economical and psychological circumstances determine the level of stress one
is subjected to. The employment insecurities, social inequities leading to isolation, burdened
responsibilities and a lesser control over the work and type of life one is living leads to a long term stress
development which runs a psychological risk accumulation.
Social exclusion: the socioeconomic conditions influence the position and acceptance of one in the
society. The poorer people face difficulties in being a part of the society. The struggle and difficulties
they face due to lack of even the basic necessities make them deprived of availing the healthcare
facilities. They face social inequalities and discrimination which prevent them from participation and
accessing the healthcare education and facilities worsening the health conditions and decreasing life
expectancy. This social discrimination leads to such people living in deprived and unhealthy
surroundings which, makes them more prone to developing various diseases.

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Workplace: people with poor socioeconomic status are devoid of the education and qualifications
required to earn a good job and work at better working environments. These people manage to get jobs
that demand a high physical activity and are associated with risks towards health. Working under such
stressful conditions where one does not have any control over the work they are offered results in a
physical and mental breakdown in later stages and make such people more vulnerable to diseases.
The governmental organizations are working towards providing a better health and care facilities to the
people. These facilities are provided to everyone irrespective of the race, creed, social and economic
status but, it has been found that despite of all the measures taken, the healthcare facilities are still
unable to reach the people equally. Several barriers contribute to this inequality and inability in
assessing the healthcare.
These barriers can be social and economical, physical, geographical or related to culture, occupation and
education. The cultural beliefs reflect upon the lifestyle one chooses to acquire. Certain eating habits or
rituals performed in different cultures which are considered as a crucial part have devastating effects on
health if followed religiously for longer durations. Such practices being incorporated as an important
part of any specific society results in difficulties in making the people understand the negative effects
they have on health and stop them from accessing any such healthcare facility which doesn’t accept the
belief system a specific group is having.
The occupation type is directly related to the socioeconomic status and diseases one suffers from. The
lower the socioeconomic status is the more are likelihoods of developing diseases. An occupation which
fetches a bare minimum amount where fulfilling the basic necessities becomes a challenge leads to
avoidance towards the health and availing even the basic health facilities becomes the least of the
priorities due to such financial restraints. These financial difficulties make people belonging to lower

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strata devoid of any health related education and they lack the awareness towards health which
presents as another huge barrier in accessing healthcare.
The Relevance Of Government Sources In Reporting On Inequalities In Health
The government sources like reports, journals and public health surveillances depicts the present
scenario about the health related care and difficulties accessing them. These play a very crucial role in
determining the prevailing health related inequalities and aids in providing the reasons behind such
inequalities. The government sources and surveillances if conducted on a regular basis provide a data
which points out the problems in achieving equal health for every individual and aids in assessing the
measures needed to be taken for making the progress in direction of providing health equally.
Assessment of the shortcomings of governmental policies and rectifying them on a periodic basis can be
done with the help of such reports. These periodic surveillances give an idea of how the needs of
population are needed to be catered to make the most out of such government policies and helps to
know if any need to modify the existing ones or incorporation of new policies is required.
The widely accepted and most important reports in this direction are the Black Report and Acheson
Report which were published in 1980 and 1988 respectively. These reports suggested a strong
connection of the socioeconomic and financial disparities with the health inequalities prevailing in the
society. The periodic surveillances and reports provide a data that shows a direct relationship of
inequalities in health and their predisposing factors which helps the government organizations in
providing the direction of where and how the changes are needed to be incorporated to improve the
healthcare sector. The financial barriers due to the differences in socioeconomic status can be ruled out
by promoting better funding options and newer policies. Changes can be made by providing basic and

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equal rights towards health to each individual which in turn will help in enhancing the life and health of
people.
Determining the extent of implementation of any policy can only be done with help of the government
reports and the required changes to made are only possible when this extent and the results of policy
are known.

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TASK 2
The Importance Of Ayesha Providing Relevant Health-Related Information To
The Public
Teenage obesity has become a major issue of concern due to the increasing prevalence rate. According
the study conducted by the King’s College London, every one in three teenagers are found to be
overweight or clinically obese by the age of 15 (NHS Choices, 2015). Such an increased rate of teenage
obesity is presented as a major concern from past few decades.
Any health related prevailing issue when identified by the government; the strategies and policies to
rule out the problem are devised and implemented. The availing and accessing of these strategies and
healthcare facilities provided by any government authorities is dependent upon how well aware the
target population is about the prevailing conditions and how educated they are about the measures that
are needed to ensure rectifications in lifestyle to deal with such conditions.
Health promotion campaigns organized by the health care professionals enhance the knowledge about
the prevailing conditions and measures to deal with them. Being a health care worker herself, Ayesha is
in constant touch with the population which helps in creating awareness about childhood obesity, its
grave consequences and the steps taken by the government to control this problem. Unless and until
the seriousness of the problem and policies made by the government are informed to the population,
controlling this problem is a distant task. Since a child’s behavior is dependent upon a lot of factors an
intervention which focuses on required changes in each and every level is mandatory (Linsley, 2011).

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The Health Beliefs Of Teenagers Governing Their Food Consumption And
Physical Activity Relate To Theories Of Health Behavior
The pre conceived notions and beliefs about health have a significant effect on an individual’s health
condition. For proper understanding of behavior and its health implications various theories have been
put forward. These are:
Interpersonal theory
Intrapersonal theory
Community level theory
Factors such as attitude, level of motivation, beliefs et cetera which are present inside an individual
comprises of intrapersonal theory. Theories like self efficacy theory, attributional theory, theory of
reasoned action and self efficacy theory focuses upon factors within the individual and their influence on
the health outcome.
If a person believes that a certain task is achievable only then he/she puts effort in that particular
direction. This is the basis of self efficacy theory. If a child believes that he can lose weight if his/her
eating habits are controlled or curtailed, a sustainable effort in that direction can be expected. Proper
motivation is a required to help an individual overcoming this problem ( Hayden,2017).
The theory of reasoned action focuses on how individual beliefs and how they contribute towards
shaping the behavior. The attitude of children towards obesity as a problem and controlling diet and
living a healthy lifestyle as a solution will affect the outcome of the intervention.

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The Potential Conflicts That Ayesha Will Encounter With The Local Fast Food
Industry On Health Promotion
Local fast food industry will prove to be a massive challenge for a health care professional like Ayesha.
Starting with marketing strategies of these companies involves large amount of money targeting young
adults with high calorie and nutritionally poor food. This marketing strategy affects the already
vulnerable strata of the society in a very negative way. This marketing strategy utilizes easily identifiable
icons, actors, cartoons promoting their product. The packaging of the product is such so as to lure the
younger population. In supermarkets, these products are strategically placed within the eye line of
young population, most of these products can be found in the lower shelves inviting young children.
These fast food companies are also involved at school level as well. They organize competitions in school
where they promote their product very aggressively. Various fund raising programs are launched by
these local companies involving the wards of children as well. Television advertisements also promote
high calorie diet and nutrition less food on a regular basis. These kind of strategies turn out to be a
major road block for health care professionals like Ayesha. Highlighting the negatives effects of these
high sugar fast foods on the health of children and creating awareness about health promotion and
preventing children into falling into these traps is a major task for a health care professional.

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TASK 3
The Links Between Government Strategies And Models Of Health Promotion
Various models and theories have been put forward in the direction of health promotion and disease
prevention which support the government in devising the required strategies to promote health among
the population. The health promotion among the individuals simply means making the people aware of
healthy living styles and practices and helping them understand the prevailing health related issues and
there prevention.
The health promotion strategies and campaigns are only viable when constructed and devised in
accordance with the behavioral and social determinants of health. These social and behavioral
determinants are understood with the help of the proposed models of health promotion which gives a
sound knowledge about the population which is targeted and their specific needs. These strategies need
to be focused on modifying the lifestyle preferences of people which can drive them towards a healthy
living. To make these strategies more effective, acceptable and population specific the models of health
promotion play the most crucial role.
The models incorporate all the aspects of health and their effects on individual or the population that
aid in devising a strategy which has a positive impact and enhance the effectiveness of implemented
health promotion plan (Golden and Earp, 2012).
The acceptance and positive outcome can be amplified only when the cultural and social environment
and the strategies planned by the government work in a synchrony and not only support the healthy
choices but also motivates the individuals to make one and for this to happen a multiple level approach
is required which helps in changes even at the very basic personal level. In achieving this multiple level
of promotion of health, the government strategies are needed to be devised in harmony with the
theories applied in relevance to the population.

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Role Of Professionals
The health promotion strategies and measures once planned needs to be delivered to the population
the government wants to reach. The proper delivery is ensured with the help of a team of healthcare
practitioners involving doctors, nurses, midwives and counselors. These healthcare professionals form a
bridge serving as a connecting link between the population and governmental healthcare strategies.
The healthcare professionals are so intricately connected with the population that they know the
problems the population is facing and they closely know the reasons behind the problems which when
considered while devising any health promotional strategy will result in enhanced acceptance and
increased effectiveness. Such an intricate relationship also gives these professional a power of
influencing and motivating the population at an individual level which any government plan or strategy
is unable to achieve on its own. The healthcare professionals are also skilled enough to know the effects
of behavioral and social changes of any government intervention which plays a key role in determining
the way of implementation and application of such strategies to fetch the maximum possible positive
result out of it. These personnel also play a key role in ensuring that every population is provided with
the best possible help and care by bringing the deprived population into notice and helping the
government device the target specific strategy (Willinson, 2011). The interviewing which is more
inclined towards personal motivation is also conducted by these professionals is of great importance in
assisting the government policies by motivating people to make healthy choices (Niesen, et al., 2018).

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TASK 4
A Health Promotion Campaign That Meets Specific Health And Social Care
Objectives
The modern lifestyle choices have given rise to a condition of increasing weight termed as ’obesity’
which is transforming into an epidemic one. It has become one of the main concerns in health of the
population due to rapidly increasing prevalence among children (Carl, 2018). Obesity among the
individuals is an open invitation to a number of illnesses including heart related issues and diabetes.
Obesity in children affects the physical health as well as the mental status as such a condition makes
these individuals psychologically compromised. Achieving the government objective of addressing the
children about prevailing obesity and the effects it has on health can be done with the help of various
measures which requires a lot of aggressive campaigning as a means of health promotion.
School health promotion campaigns are needed to be organized to overcome the prevailing problem of
childhood obesity as it will help in directly targeting the teenage students who are mostly affected by
the increasing obesity. Health promotional talks and interactive sessions can be held to ensure that the
children are able to understand the purpose of the health promotion programs and their focus and also
to help them keep motivated enough so that the campaigns planned and organized are more effective.
Addressing the parents along with the target children plays a key role in modifying the lifestyle choices
of these children. The sessions including parent education regarding childhood obesity are arranged to
ensure the parents are made to understand that the fat is in no way fit to their children.
This can be accomplished by making informative videos, showing live examples of the harmful effects
being overweight has on health. Incorporating physician’s lecture emphasizing on the detrimental
effects helps in motivating them and creates a sense of awareness among the children helping them in
adapting a healthier way of living.

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Explain How That Health Promotion Campaign Supports Health Promotion
Strategies
The health promotion strategies devised by the government are of no importance if they are unable to
address the target population effectively and to make these strategies easily accessible to the general
population the health care workers are needed to organize and arrange periodic health promotion
campaigns. Thus, it is these promotional campaigns which make the government strategies to promote
health effective as these campaigns make people aware of the government health policies and
strategies, their uses in prevailing issues and the ways to deal with them.
Through such campaigns people living in remote and inaccessible regions can be reached and targeted
providing such people with health related facilities and creating health awareness. . If any particular
ethnic/minority community is specifically struggling with obesity, this can also be identified with the
health promotion interactions and aids in planning a more effective strategy pertaining to their social
and economic determinants and cultural and moral beliefs and practices thus, making the campaign as
target specific as possible (Naidoo, 2009). A positive outcome can only be achieved when the
government strategies reach each and every individual which is done only with the help such health
promotion campaigns (Freiden, 2010).

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CONCLUSION
It can be concluded that the promotion of health among any population is dependent upon multiple
factors like the type of government policies, the target population and their understanding of health, the
skills of healthcare professionals and their role in health promotion and also the ways in which the
health promotion strategies are being delivered to the general population. An impactful health
promotion campaign inducing a self motivation among the people results in an enhance understanding
and increased effectiveness of the government strategies.

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REFERENCES:
 Carl Baker, OBESITY STATISTICS Briefing Paper Number 3336, 2018
 Frieden, T.R., Dietz, W. and Collins, J., 2010. Reducing childhood obesity through policy change:
acting now to prevent obesity. Health affairs, 29(3), pp.357-363.
 Golden, S.D. and Earp, J.A.L., 2012. Social ecological approaches to individuals and their
contexts: twenty years of health education & behavior health promotion interventions. Health
Education & Behavior, 39(3), pp.364-372.
 Hayden, J.A., 2017. Introduction to health behavior theory. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
 Linsley, P., Kane, R. and Owen, S. eds., 2011. Nursing for public health: Promotion, principles and
practice. Oxford University Press.
 Naidoo, J. and Wills, J. (2009) Foundations for Health Promotion. London: Balliere Tindal.
 NHS Choices. (2015). Obese children tend to grow up to be obese adults. [Online]. Available at:
https://www.nhs.uk/news/obesity/child-obesity-rates-are-stabilising/#where-did-the-story-
come-from (last accessed on 3.7.18)
 Niesen, C.R., Kraft, S.J. and Meiers, S.J., 2018. Use of Motivational Interviewing by Nurse
Leaders: Coaching for Performance, Professional Development, and Career Goal Setting. The
health care manager, 37(2), pp.183-192.
 Wilinson R, (2011) The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone, (www.equality
trust.org.uk) ISBN-13: 978-0241954294
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