Assessment 2: Health Promotion Plan for Childhood Obesity in Australia

This essay presents a health promotion plan designed to combat childhood and adolescent obesity, a significant public health concern characterized by excessive body fat and associated health risks like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The program aims to improve health outcomes by promoting healthy eating habits and increased physical activity among children and adolescents in Australia, where approximately 25% are overweight or obese. The essay identifies the target population, risk factors such as poor diet, lack of exercise, family history, psychological stress, and socioeconomic factors, and outlines the methodology, involving a team of experts using observation and case study methods for data collection. The expected outcomes include maintaining a healthy BMI and reducing weight among obese children. The success of the program is measured by changes in parental and teacher behaviors regarding healthy eating and physical activity, with the ultimate goal of weight loss and improved health outcomes. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of addressing obesity during childhood and adolescence through lifestyle changes and increased physical activity for long-term health benefits.

Running head: HEALTH PROMOTION PLAN
1
Health Promotion Program
Name
Institution

HEALTH PROMOTION PLAN 2
Health Promotion Program to Combat Childhood and Adolescent Obesity
Introduction
Obesity is a medical condition that is characterized by excessive body fat. It is a health
risk that increases an individual’s chances of developing other conditions such as
diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and some forms of cancer. According
to Karnik & Kanekar (2012), obesity among children has proven to be one of the most
serious health challenges in the 21st century because of its rapid increase and the
public health risks it possesses. Approximately 25% of children aged between 5 years
and 17 years in Australia are either obese or overweight ("Department of Health |
Overweight and Obesity", 2019). It has become a global problem majorly affecting the
urban setting with an increasing prevalence (Karnik & Kanekar, 2012). If this health
condition is not tackled, then these overweight children risk being obese into their
adulthoods. As a result, they are at a higher risk of developing non-communicable
diseases like heart-related diseases and diabetes (Cote, Harris, Panagiotopoulos,
Sandor & Devlin, 2013). It is important to note that with the appropriate health promotion
program, obesity and overweight among children can be easily prevented.
Childhood and adolescent periods are very fundamental for the introduction of healthy
habits (Gill, Plasqui, Schols & Kok, 2014). It is, however, a challenge to implement
these healthy habits as evidenced by the current number of obese children and
adolescents. Impacting these habits at a young age is important because the children
grow up with them into adulthood (Gill et al., 2014). The World Health Organization in
cooperation with the Institute of Medicine put forward recommendations on
comprehensive interventions to help in combating obesity. This essay analyses the
outcome of the program and the outcome variable. It additionally talks about the
targeted population, risk factors, methodology of the program, and the potential
successes of the program.
The Aim of the Program
The main aim of this program is to evaluate healthy lifestyle initiatives with the hope of
improving the health outcomes of children and adolescents at risk of obesity and

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overweight and thus prevent excess weight among the children. The first step in
evaluating healthy lifestyles and reducing the risk of obesity in children is by promoting
healthy eating habits (Liu et al., 2012). This program, however, has not proven tom be
effective among children below the age of 5 years. It is widely agreed that early
childhood prevention of obesity is important, however, no evidence has been presented
to show that this program is effective in pre-school children.
Another aim of this health promotion program is to the levels of physical activities in
children both at home and in school. Most children in Australia do not meet the
recommended levels of physical activity which explains the high prevalence of
overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in Australia. Most children
spend most of their time playing video games and on social media thus rarely engaging
in active behaviours (Liu et al., 2012). It is important to note that children and
adolescents who do not engage in physical activities as recommended are highly likely
to live less healthy lives. It is thus important that they engage in these activities and
sports to help in weight reduction and maintenance thus combating obesity (Liu et al.,
2012).
This health promotion program has some expected outcomes known as outcome
variables that can be realized if the campaign is effective. One of the outcome variables
is the maintenance of a healthy BMI among children and adolescents that are not
diagnosed as obese or overweight. Another outcome variable is the reduction in weight
in obese children and adolescents. These outcome variables depend on the
independent variables that are aimed at achieving the goals of the campaign. Exercising
and healthy eating habits help in maintaining a healthy BMI among non-obese
individuals in addition to reducing the weight of children diagnosed with obesity.
Target Population
This health promotion plan targets children and adolescents who are obese or at risk of
being obese in Australia. According to studies, approximately 25% of children and
adolescents in Australia are obese ("Overweight & obesity Overview - Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare", 2019). The number of obese or overweight children is
even higher among aboriginal Australians (Schultz, 2012). It is important to note that

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obesity, especially in children and adolescents takes a huge percentage of the burden
of disease in Australia at approximately 8.4% ("Overweight & obesity Overview -
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare", 2019). The obesity and overweight problems
among Australian children and adolescents are also contributed by the media. Around
44% of food advertisements on the TV is made up of junk food that is unhealthy.
It is important to note that obesity and overweight present very serious complications to
children and adolescents. Additionally, it massively affects the physical and mental
health of the victims (Sanders, Han, Baker & Cobley, 2015). Obesity if not treated or
prevent from a young age, it may manifest in adulthood thus leading to other serious
health complications (Sabin & Kiess, 2015). Parents must, therefore, set the right
example for their children to help in fighting this health condition.
It has also been reported that the number of children and adolescents diagnosed with
type two diabetes in Australia is increasing every year. Other problems that obese
children are encountering as a result of obesity include sleep apnea, flat feet, fatigue,
and heat intolerance. It also affects the self-esteem of children and adolescents due to
the stigma they experience from their peers because of their weight (Sabin & Kiess,
2015). This may further force them to eat more unhealthy diets with the hope of
controlling their weights. This health promotion program, therefore, targets the
Australian children and adolescents who are struggling with their weights and those who
intend to maintain their weights at a reasonable range.
Risk Factors
The successful implementation of this health promotion program also depends on a
comprehensive analysis of some of the risk factors of obesity. Risk factors are the
attributes that are believed to increase the chances of developing a particular disease.
Several factors combine to increase the risk of an adolescent or a child of developing
obesity. One of the risk factors of obesity is poor eating habits and diet. Children should
not be fed food rich in calories, desserts, candy, and sugary drinks. These foods are
believed to increase the risk of developing obesity (Malik, Willett & Hu, 2013). Instead,
parents should prioritize foods rich in vitamins and minerals such as fruits and

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vegetables. Another risk factor is lack of exercise. Lack of exercise among children and
adolescents is believed to increase the risks of developing obesity because calories are
not effectively burned. Most Australian children spend a lot of their time on sedentary
activities such as playing video games, watching the TV, and social media thus
spending very little time on activities such as exercises and sports (Liu et al., 2012).
Their chances of being diagnosed with obesity are thus increased significantly. Family
and hereditary factors also contribute to the chances of a child or an adolescent being
overweight or obese. If a family is made up of overweight or obese persons, then the
likelihood of a child born in that house also being obese is very high (Baidal et al.,
2016). Psychological factors such as parental, personal, or family stress may increase
the risk of a child developing obesity. This is particularly true in situations where children
overeat to overcome their stress (Moore & Cunningham, 2012). Finally, socioeconomic
factors are also risk factors of obesity. Some low-income communities buy food for
convenience and thus they may not follow a healthy diet plan. This puts the children
from these communities at a higher risk of obesity and overweight (Malik et al., 2013).
Methodology of Campaign
The team that tasked with implementing this health promotion campaign is made up of
clinicians, nutritionists, researchers dealing with health policies, biostatistician, and
epidemiologists from various institutions. This group of professionals followed the
standardized procedures established by the effective healthcare program by the
Australian Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. It additionally benefited from
the continuous input of the field experts and other significant stakeholders. The key
questions surrounding this health promotion campaign were developed by the help of a
key informant panel made up of childhood nutrition policy experts, clinicians dealing with
children diagnosed with obesity, parents of the children, representatives from schools,
professionals of childhood obesity, and staff from Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality. A panel was also formed made up of experts and some stakeholders whose
contribution to the development of the protocol of this study was significant and
fundamental. The report of the campaign was reviewed by the public and the group of
experts after which improvements were made based on the feedback.

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Data was collected through different methods one of them being observation. In
observation, the researchers observe the occurrences of a real-life situation and
classifying these happenings according to a scheme. Observation is important because
it helps in discovering important relationships that exist between events thus making it
easy to explore the fundamental facts of a situation (Jorgensen, 2015). Additionally,
through observation, one can accurately watch and know the natural occurrence of
phenomena concerning cause and effect (Jamshed, 2014). Observation can be used to
distinguish between obese patients and non-obese individuals. Children and
adolescents that have been diagnosed by diabetes have huge bodies that are visible.
Observation van, therefore, is used to collect data on them.
Another method of data collection used in this study is the case study method. This was
done through careful observation of obese children and adolescents through qualitative
analysis (Cronin, 2014). It emphasizes on a combination of factors that help in
qualitatively describe a process in which there is an occurrence of behaviour thus
leading to an analysis of several cases to develop a hypothesis.
Success of the Program
The success of the program may be confirmed if it can be established that the program
effectively changed the behaviour of parents and teachers towards obesity in children.
Additionally, success is realized when the approach towards obesity is changes and
everyone puts their energy in fighting it. Behavioural changes were characterized by a
change in eating and diet plans. Most of the parents agreed to have designed a diet
plan for their children. The diet plan aimed to ensure that children practised healthy
eating habits. Most parents further ascertained that they were gradually getting rid of
sugars, calorie-rich food, and desserts from their children’s diet plans. Another
behavioural change was the new-found passion for sports and physical activities. More
than half of the parents ascertained that they had limited the time their children spent
watching the TV or playing video games. They ensured that the children were out
playing and engaging in physical activities.
There was hope that the above two successes would help in bringing an expected
success where obese children would lose weight gradually and become healthier.

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Weight loss and attaining a healthy BMI reading is very fundamental in ensuring quality
health outcomes (Bray, Frühbeck, Ryan & Wilding, 2016). Most of the children were
able to lose weight and embarks on a road towards recovery. Other children, however,
did not realize similar success with these interventions and needed medication to help
with the weight loss.
Conclusion
Obesity is a serious global health problem that affects most people and the prevalence
among children and adolescents has been increasing in recent years. It is important to
tackle this condition during childhood and adolescent periods to avoid the children
growing with it into adulthood. An effective health promotion program to combat obesity
can thus be designed to ensure a change in lifestyle choices and more engagement in
physical exercises. Healthy leaving involves avoiding unhealthy foods that have high-
calorie content. This health promotion program can be very effective if it is appropriately
implemented. Success is realized when there is a change in behaviour regarding food
choices and the frequency and intensity of physical exercises. The end goal of this
program is weight loss in children and adolescents thus helping them in attaining quality
health outcomes.

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