Community Health: Obesity and Nursing Roles in Darebin, Victoria

This report provides a community profile and health needs assessment focused on obesity in Darebin, Victoria. It identifies social risk factors, potential causes, and social determinants of health related to obesity within the community. The report discusses community assets, structures, and resources aimed at addressing this specific health concern, including the Darebin Playspace Society initiatives. It further explains the crucial role and responsibilities of nurses, particularly maternal and child health nurses, practice nurses, and community health nurses, in addressing and improving the issue of obesity through education, prevention, and healthcare services. The report emphasizes the importance of accessible and affordable healthy food options, community support, and healthcare professional involvement in promoting healthier lifestyles and preventing obesity in vulnerable populations within the Darebin community.

4. Darebin’s play spaces offers an atmosphere where kids, adolescents, elder people and people
of all capabilities and upbringings are comfortable to promote physical activities. Council
attempts to deliver land and infrastructures for play inside 500 meters of every single home, to
create safe and sustainable play spaces that are progressive, vibrant and exciting. A broader
range of publicity material, ways and means exist to deliver information for Darebin’s play
spaces, with specific consideration paid to the inclusion of individuals with disability,
linguistically and ethnically diverse communities and young people. They build Partnership with
networks and agencies, key stakeholders to encourage prospects for more than before and
Increase participation rates in sport and physical activities along with continual investment in
infrastructure to raise the involvement in physical activities and sport.
Homework clubs, libraries etc. also provide proper prospects to build knowledge and awareness.
Family and Children Services, Services for old people, Child Health and Maternal services.
Proper Community Services Administration and Regulation also helps in Premature
identification and deterrence of vulnerability to obesity through participation in cultural youth
groups and outdoor sporting events by nurturing a notion of belonging to local community. The
council tries to Provide employment through education and training. Understanding of the people
vulnerable in community, recognizing gaps and necessities in local service, easier accessibility
through better local planning (Evans, Henderson, & Middleton, 2013). Custom-made services for
obese people that meet specific identified requirements. Council is also focused on Lessening of
hurdles to promote involvement of population vulnerable to obesity due to certain societal
circumstances such as Women and girls, Aboriginal community, LGBTIQ people, Older adults
and individuals living with a disability.
It is more effective to prevent obesity rather than to treat obese person. Healthcare nurses such
as Maternal and child health nurses provides better healthcare education to the people and
families, encouraging the way of life and diet essential to avoid obesity (Robinson, Wilson,
Harris, & Laws, 2013). Backing and encouragement by the council; initiatives that help to access
inexpensive food and healthy consumption of food. Healthy foods should be affordable and
should be easily available. A constant activism targeted at all levels of government to raise
substantial aid and emergency relief (Darebin Playspace Society, 2010). The council Encourages
and Supports initiatives that donate to access for healthy eating and inexpensive food. It also
encourages community food enterprises to make contribution of surplus food to council for the
support of two Services/organizations each year to embrace food and nutrition guidelines. There
are significant number healthcare professionals who work as a maternal and child health nurses,
school nurses, occupational health nurses, community health nurses, general practice nurses etc.
in a primary health care setting. Maternal and child health nurses provide a variety of services
like education on child and mother nutrition and breastfeeding, developing proper child raising
skills, immunization etc. through individual sessions, group meetings and house visits, whereas
practice nurses identify possible diet and lifestyle along with causes that lead to obesity and
provide required education to the whole family (Laws, et al., 2015).

5. Maternal and child healthcare nurses are generally registered nurses, and in many cases, they
are midwives, with further credentials in child, mother and community health (Submission to the
House of Representative standing committee on Health and Ageing inquiry into Obesity in
Australia, 2008). These nurses provide a variety of services through individual sessions, group
meetings and house appointments. They provide care and direction to the families to grow child
raising practices and skills; evaluate development and growth of child, and conduct at crucial
ages and junctures; administer and inform families in matters related to the, vaccinations,
nourishment, breastfeeding, family health, child conduct and accident deterrence; offer access to
facts on family and child services. Child and maternal health nurses are fully prepared to deliver
health related education to people and families, encouraging ways of life and food consumption
essential to avoid the manifestation of obesity.
Practice nurses are more gradually called upon to take on a several varieties of tasks in general
practice that leads to safe care of higher quality services. They are independent health care
workers, answerable and accountable for the services and care they deliver. Practice nurses are
expected to evaluate and start care according to the needs of their client that comes under the
scope of nursing practices (Kouta & Lazarou, 2010).
Community health nursing is a distinctive model uniting general health promotion, nursing
practices, primary health care and public health. These nurse’s partner with local communities to
check disease, enhance health throughout the life time. They recognize different barriers to good
health and encourages individuals to amend practices that affect people’s health negatively
(Parker & Kelehe, 2013). These nurses work in a partnership with communities and families, and
try to nurture a sense of empowerment and self-determination of clients and can deliver great
service to advance population health outcomes. Occupational health nurses provide health
instruction and makes plan to inspire other professionals to take full responsibility of their own
health. Fitness and workout, nourishment and control of weight, tension regulation, management
of prolonged diseases and efficient use of healthcare services are few precautionary plans and
programs that these nurses’ practice to support employees to be productive and healthy.
Primary school nurses give health care service to school kids of age in between five to twelve
years and to their families. Primary health care involves a variety of facilities focused on health
information and elevation, early involvement and identification for health apprehensions. School
nurses involved in health analysis, promotion of health, clinical care, improvement of school
community activities and supervision of general health center.
Secondary school nurses: Associating health care with education is necessary to instill habit in
youngsters to care for themselves, make choices which lead to healthy way of life and transform
behavior to make the most of the chances school delivers. They play a crucial part in decreasing
adverse health consequences and risky activities of youngsters, including depression, alcohol and
drug abuse, smoking, eating problems, obesity, wounds and suicide. Their responsibilities
include: health analysis of people; health elevation and planning; development of school
community; group works concentrating on health linked debate and figures; and a source and
recommendation facility to help youngsters to make healthy way of life selections (The role of
Australian primary health care in the prevention of chronic disease, 2012).

References
Darebin Playspace Society. (2010, July 5). Retrieved from
www.darebin.vic.gov.au/-/media/cityofdarebin/Files/YourCouncil/HowCouncilWorks/
CouncilPlan/CouncilStrategies/Healthy-and-Connected-Community/Playspace-Strategy--
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