Nutrition Transition Program Targeted Children

Running head: NUTRITION TRANSITION PROGRAM TARGETED AT CHILDREN
Nutrition Transition program targeted at children
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NUTRITION TRANSITION PROGRAM TARGETED AT CHILDREN1
Background
A series of changes in nutrition and the dietary condition is typical of human history.
Over the last three decades, this rate of change has greatly accelerated. Great changes in diet and
physical activity, particularly their form and general appearance, have occurred over time. The
dietary effects such as height and body composition reflect these shifts. In addition, these
differences are simultaneous to transitions in quality of life and health status, and also significant
population and socio-economic changes. The world has seen a remarkable shift in dietary
behaviours, patterns of physical activity and inactivity, composition of the body, and prevalence
of different diseases. These relate very much to the nutritional transition associated with changes
in consumed foods and beverages, along with reduced physical activity.
The transition to nutrition represents the shift in diet and energy consumption coinciding
with changes in economics, populations and epidemiology. The concept is used primarily for
transition from traditional high grain and fiber diets in developing countries to more western
style nutritional diets with high levels of sugar, fat and animal-source food. The definition of
Dietary Change, complex changes in food consumption and the habits of physical activity, and of
obesity and other metabolic non-communicable diseases were developed by Barry Popkin.
Estimated 69 per cent of adults are overweight or obese, with more than 78 million adult
Americans deemed obese, as per the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys
(NHANES). Kids are also getting heavier. Over the last 30 years, children aged 2 to 5 have more
than increased obesity rates, nearly tripled in teenagers between 6 and 11 and more than double
the age of 12 to 19. Researchers discovered that the worldwide levels of overweight and obesity

NUTRITION TRANSITION PROGRAM TARGETED AT CHILDREN2
among adults have risen by 27.5 per cent over the last 33 years, although these rates in children
and adolescents have risen by 47.1 per cent.
In Australia, Go4Fun and PEACH are the two main weight management programs aimed for the
management of weight of the children. The Go4Fun is a free program for the children New
South Wales who are of age of 7 to 13 who are above a healthy weight. The following program
is managed by the health and community professionals. This program was established in the year
2011 and since then it is helping the Australian families and children to make the lifestyle better.
Parenting, Eating and Activity for Child Health (PEACH) is another weight management
program. The PEACH program was established in the year 2013. This is a 6 month long weight
management program which consists of 10 sessions. This program was established in response to
the weight statistics of Queensland, where it was observed that over the past 30 years one in four
children were obese. This, program has always been effective in managing and helping the
families and children to manage the weight.
According to a various literature, there is a compelling need to move on the issue of
obesity, however, there is a significant gap between types and amount of evidence considered
appropriate as the rationale for intervention, and the types and amount of resources capable of
meeting that need. A research was conducted to search for the research gaps in the study of
obesity. The researchers found four main research gaps1. There is a lack in the study of the
mechanisms and pathways fundamental to the link among food insecurity and obesity. There is a
lack in the study of the effect of food insecurity on pregnant females, children, and other
susceptible people. There is also a lack in longitudinal studies and constructive multilevel
intervention approaches that can be used for greater real-world impact1.