Assignment on MPH Nutrition

Running head: MPH NUTRITION
MPH Nutrition
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

MPH NUTRITION
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A brief overview of childhood obesity
The issue of obesity and overweight is one of the crucial problems around the world
and in UK and US the condition of obesity and overweight has also become a serious area of
threat. From the data of the UK government, it can be stated that in the year of 2017/18
almost 9.5 per cent of the children under the age group of 4-5 years are suffering from of
obesity and on the other hand almost 12.8 per cent of the children are suffering from the
problem of overweight in the country. In case of the age group of 10 -11 years, the rate of
obesity is almost 20.1% and rate of overweight is almost 14.2% (Baker 2019). In case of US,
the obesity prevalence is almost 13.9% among 2- to 5-year-olds, among 6- to 11-year-olds the
rate is 18.4%, and among 12- to 19-year-olds the rate is 20.6% (Centres for Disease Control
and Prevention 2020).
A critical review of Assessment Technique
Due to the high rate of obesity and overweight among the children of UK, the national
child measurement programme was launched in the country and this programme is also
defined as the School Height and Weight Checks program and it is generally delivered to the
children by the local authorities. The report stated that almost 17000 schools are eligible to
take part in this program. As a part of this program, generally height and weight of the
children are measured by the local authorities. According to the report of Public Health
England (2019) it is reported that children’s overall wellbeing is mainly associated with the
body weights and healthy growing of the individuals and in this regard, it can be reported
that, identification of body height and body weight is very crucial for improving the quality
of life among the children. Moreover, the information regarding the body weight and body
height of the children in UK will help the country to take actions to improve the health and
wellbeing which includes healthy eating and enhanced physical activity among the children

MPH NUTRITION
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(Public Health England 2019). According to the study of Travier et al. (2014), it is stated that
assessment of the body height and body weight of children suffering from the problem of
obesity and overweight is quite helpful for designing interventions for them. On the other
hand, the study findings of Chin, Kahathuduwa and Binks (2016), stated that the use of the
physical activity and nutritional interventions is effective in reducing the issue of overweight
and obesity among the children. Along with this, the National child measurement programme
also plans to incorporate the parents of children in the program and in various other studies,
the effectiveness of inclusion of family members in the intervention programme has been
identified.
In case of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NANHES) is
responsible for examining the psychological and physical health of the individuals till the age
of 17 years and it is stated that the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources
and Services Administration is responsible for examining the emotional and physical health
of the children and as a result, early identifications of the obesity and overweight cases can be
made by using these data by the government individuals. In this regard, it can be stated that
early identification of the risk factors related to the obesity and overweight will help the
country to design proper intervention plan for the children. This survey is unique in nature as
it is the combination of physical examinations and interviews of the individuals and physical
conditions of the individuals (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention 2020). According
to the study of Kelley, Kelley and Pate (2015), it is stated that the early identification of the
obesity and overweight related risks can help in prediction in various other diseases such as
cardiovascular disease and stroke. In this current NANHES program, the data source helps to
identify the risk factors for heart disease and stroke. According to the study of Ayer et al.
(2015), it is stated that the obesity and overweight is associated with onset of cardiovascular