Comprehensive Report on Child Health, Safety, and Protective Behaviors

This report comprehensively examines critical health and safety issues in early childhood. It highlights the significance of health, safety, and nutrition in childcare settings, emphasizing their role in preventing illness and creating a safe environment. The report delves into key issues like obesity, exercise, body image, sexuality education, and child protective behaviors, analyzing their impact on a child's well-being. Obesity is identified as a major concern, with discussions on its causes, risks, and recommendations, including the importance of physical activity, healthy eating habits, and family-based interventions. The report also explores sexuality education and child protective behaviors, addressing issues like lack of training and the importance of creating safe environments to reduce violence and abuse. Recommendations are provided for policy and practice, focusing on improving training, promoting comprehensive programs, and involving key stakeholders. The conclusion reiterates the importance of health and safety, highlighting the consequences of unhealthy habits and the benefits of protective behaviors.

The healthy and active child

TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW....................................................................................................................................1
AREA ONE: ISSUES – OBESITY, EXERCISE, BODY IMAGE................................................1
RECOMMENDATION...................................................................................................................2
AREA TWO: ISSUES – SEXUALITY EDUCATION AND CHILD PROTECTIVE
BEHAVIOURS................................................................................................................................2
RECOMMENDATION...................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

OVERVIEW
This study will significantly highlight on health and safety issues which are of utmost
importance in early childhood. This study also evaluates the various set of health conditions
which influence the health of the child. The key issues within this study mainly comprise of
obesity, body image, exercise and another issue is associated with child protective behaviour and
sexual education. Health and safety within the childcare is considered to be of utmost importance
because it helps in providing high degree of quality care to the child by keeping in mind the
requirements. Health, safety and nutrition within the early childhood is of utmost importance
because it very useful in the prevention of the illness and care centres are of clean surfaces which
results in early childhood setting. Health and safety is vital as it helps in providing better care
services and also helps in creating clean and safe environment for the children (Côté-Lussier &
et.al. (2015)). Providing knowledge and training to the child related with how to use first aid.
Proper diet and nutrition is a crucial part of health and safety which helps in providing the right
balance of the nutrients to the child which leads to better growth and development. There are
various set of health condition such as obesity, exercise, body image, sexuality education and
child protective behaviours which in turn can largely influence the health of the child.
AREA ONE: ISSUES – OBESITY, EXERCISE, BODY IMAGE.
Obesity is considered to be as one of the significant issue among the children which
eventually leads to high degree of health problems such as health disease, asthma and diabetes
(Hoynes, Schanzenbach, & Almond, (2016)). Moreover, childhood obesity tends to have both
physical as well as mental effect on the child. This results in high degree of influence which
leads to emotional toll. It is one of the most complex issue and is mainly caused because of
excessive weight gain within young individuals. The key factors associated with the obesity are
genetics and personal behaviour. Overweight children in turn is mainly the key consequence of
unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, low degree of self- esteem, depression and negative body image
within the children (Childhood Obesity and Weight Problems, 2019). One of the key prominent
cause of the obesity within the children are mainly associated with the intake of high calorie
food, less active exercise, consumption of high sugar, genetics, etc. are considered to be as the
key prominent measure which in turn eventually leads to high degree of obesity within the child.
It has been concluded that, a children needs proper nutrition and healthy diet in order to work in
an effective manner which results in better growth and development of the child. It also results in
1

maintaining optimum level of weight within the child which helps in improving their physical as
well as mental health. The key risk associated with the obesity within child is mainly associated
with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, breathing problems, sleep
apnea, fatty liver disease, gallstones, etc. within the child.
RECOMMENDATION
It has been recommended that, the child must in turn tends to highly focus on indulging in
various set of exercise and outdoor activities which helps in physical movement of the body
within child. Reducing the amount of sugar intake and getting indulge in low fat calorie food is
considered to be one of the most effective recommendation which leads to higher operational
growth and sustainability (Fung, Chern, & Fang, (2015)). Eating fresh fruits and vegetables is
one of the most healthy choice which contains high degree of protein and nutrients which is very
beneficial for the child health. Low fat milk, low sugar intake, health breakfast, etc. are the key
epitome of maintaining healthy weight within the child and reduce the risk associated with
obesity. Indulging in physical activity is considered to be of utmost importance and carrying out
various recreational outdoor activities which eventually leads to maintaining healthy weight
within the child and reduce the issues associated with obesity. Physical activity intervention,
appropriate set of exercise, etc. are considered to be as the key factors which results in reduction
of the risk associated with the obesity within the child. Moreover, family based intervention is
also an effective recommendation in order to reduce obesity within the child. It is very important
to watch the portion size of the child in order to maintain the weight level of the child.
AREA TWO: ISSUES – SEXUALITY EDUCATION AND CHILD
PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOURS
Sexuality education is mainly associated with the imparting of knowledge to the children in
order to relate with the human sexuality. This is mainly associated with the sexual reproduction,
reproduction rights, reproductive health, human sexual autonomy, sexual abstinence, etc.
Sexuality education in turn eventually leads to various set of issues which mainly comprise of
lack of training and scarce staff resources (Kumar & Kelly, (2017, February)). Moreover,
consequences within the classroom is one of the key significant issue which is mainly related
with the sexuality education. Child protective behaviour is very useful because it helps in
developing various set of personal safety measures which can be used by the child, adults and
young people. It helps in creating a safe environment which is very useful in reducing violence
2

and reduction in the abuse within the community. Child protective behaviour is of utmost
importance because it leads to developing of various skills in order to reduce violence
(McKinney & et.al. (2017)). Sex education issues mainly associated with watching of the
inappropriate content among the child. There leads to be a sense of emotional development
within children which in turn tends to largely results in increase number of issues within the
child.
RECOMMENDATION
The health and safety policy must include measures which must be associated with the
Sexuality education and child protective behaviour. It must include those contents which is
appropriate for the child and helps in building their knowledge related with the sex education
(Hockenberry & Wilson, (2018)). Improving the professional training, establishment of the local
advisory committee, promoting the various benefits of the comprehensive program. It is also one
of the most significant approach as it tends to highly result increasing the knowledge of the
individual person associated with the HIV and AIDS. The key stakeholders who will be involved
in the policy making are health care practitioners, local community, etc. which helps in effective
formulation of the policy to impart sex knowledge to the customers. One of the major strength in
the formulation of the policy is mainly associated with sex education and child protective
behaviour is that it is useful in reducing violence and reduction in the abuse within the
community (Szilagyi, Rosen, Rubin & Zlotnik, (2015)). The key prominent weakness associated
with sex education and child protective behaviour is associated with lack of training and scarce
staff resources.
CONCLUSION
This study summarizes that, Health and safety is vital as it helps in providing better care
services and also helps in creating clean and safe environment for the children. Overweight
children in turn is mainly the key consequence of unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, low degree of
self- esteem, depression and negative body image within the children. Formulation of the policy
is mainly associated with sex education and child protective behaviour is that it is useful in
reducing violence and reduction in the abuse within the community.
3

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Côté-Lussier, C & et.al. (2015). A child’s view: social and physical environmental features
differentially predict parent and child perceived neighborhood safety. Journal of urban
health, 92(1), 10-23.
Fung, D., Chern, C. M., & Fang, T. Z. T. (2015). Clinical quality and patient safety in child and
adolescent mental health. IACAPAP e-textbook of child and adolescent mental health. Geneva:
International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions.
Hockenberry, M. J., & Wilson, D. (2018). Wong's nursing care of infants and children-E-book.
Elsevier Health Sciences.
Hoynes, H., Schanzenbach, D. W., & Almond, D. (2016). Long-run impacts of childhood access
to the safety net. American Economic Review, 106(4), 903-34.
Kumar, S., & Kelly, A. S. (2017, February). Review of childhood obesity: from epidemiology,
etiology, and comorbidities to clinical assessment and treatment. In Mayo Clinic
Proceedings (Vol. 92, No. 2, pp. 251-265). Elsevier.
McKinney, E. S & et.al. (2017). Maternal-child nursing-e-book. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Szilagyi, M. A., Rosen, D. S., Rubin, D., & Zlotnik, S. (2015). Health care issues for children
and adolescents in foster care and kinship care. Pediatrics, 136(4), e1142-e1166.
Online
Childhood Obesity and Weight Problems. 2019. [ONLINE]. Available through<
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/diets/childhood-obesity-and-weight-problems.htm>
4