Obesity prevention Assignment 2022

Obesity prevention
Student Name
University Name
Student Notes

Background
Australia has been ranked the fifth country worldwide, to be gravely affected by severe
prevalence of obesity1. About 39% of the total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
population have been suffering from obesity, making them the most disadvantaged among the
overall population of the country. In the recent years, the adolescent population has been
found to be addicted to unhealthy, junk foods, often making them the main suffers of obesity
and its associated diseases. The main issue that can be held accountable for this persistent
health issue is their poor socio-economic status2. Their extreme social disadvantage of lack of
proper education, high unemployment, and lack of social and legal awareness among the
adult Aboriginal population, has led them to acquire poor lifestyle choices including poor diet
and lack of physical exercise, which has degraded their health further3. Thus, their poor
health has resulted them to develop associated chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular
diseases, kidney failures, hypertension, cholesterol and more.
Discussion
Community engagement
In order to successfully execute a program plan, the active participation of its members is
highly crucial. Partners can range from legal policies and laws to community members,
participating organisations, and interpersonal as well as individual participation.
Policy: Australia has been known to form the Obesity Policy Coalition, which is focused on
developing and implementing the Public Health and Wellbeing Plan to help the country,
especially the Victorian states significantly reduce the prevalence of obesity.

Community: In order to help the indigenous population of the country, active participation of
the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander is highly crucial. Before devising of any plan or
program, the consent or acknowledgement of the target population or community is
extremely necessary for the evaluating the success of the program.
Organisation: Public Health Advocacy Institute of Western Australia and the Australian and
New Zealand Obesity Society are some of the organisations which have been focusing on the
issue of obesity among the Aboriginal population. In order to successfully execute the action
plan, it is highly crucial for these members to fund or help organise the associated programs
that will help increase the impact of the plan on the target population.
Interpersonal: Participation of family members and friends is very crucial when it comes to
the adolescent population, as they can help in providing mental support to those suffering
from obesity. They can also expedite the process of helping the target population overcome
the different associated health issues of obesity.
Individual: The participation of the adolescent Aboriginals suffering from obesity will ensure
the increased success of the program. The program can help teach the obese Aboriginal
population of Australia health awareness, self-management strategies and prevent the
occurrence of associated diseases.
Strategies which can be employed by the program to help attract and engage these partners
are as follows:
 Educational empowerment of the Aboriginals through seminars and workshops
 Organising awareness programs and setting up counselling camps to help the
Aboriginals seek help.
 Nutrition programs for the target population4.

 The volunteers should be trained to be culturally competent in order to enable easy
communication with the indigenous people.
 Providing job and employment opportunities to these disadvantaged population.
 Providing low budget but quality healthcare services to socio-economically backward
Aboriginal population.
 Using different technologies like advertisements to create awareness about obesity,
disease prevention and healthy lifestyle choices.
 The volunteers can be given free healthcare check-ups and consultation sessions to
keep them engaged in the work.
Program design and evaluation
Goal: To reduce the prevalence of obesity and promote healthy lifestyle choices among the
adolescent population of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of Australia, by
aiming to educate both the children as well as their parents.
SMART objective
To help promote the implementation of healthy lifestyle choices by 20% and increase the
level of physical activities by at least 40%, among the obese Aboriginal adolescent
population of the schools in Victoria region of Australia within 2 years, by employing means
of health awareness programs along with providing them affordable monthly health check-
ups.