Preventing Childhood Obesity: School-Based Initiatives in NZ

This essay addresses the growing concern of childhood obesity and its link to chronic diseases, such as Diabetes Mellitus, with a particular focus on the New Zealand context. It examines various initiatives aimed at curbing childhood obesity, with an emphasis on school-based programs. The essay reviews several articles to identify effective means of prevention, including increasing physical activity, reducing weight gain, and changing dietary patterns. It highlights the significance of school environments in shaping children's perceptions of health and proposes practical strategies for implementing interventions, such as promoting physical activity through curriculum changes, regulating the sale of carbonated drinks, and altering the food environment. The conclusion underscores the potential benefits of modifying school environments to promote healthy lifestyles and emphasizes the importance of continued research to discover more efficient strategies in the fight against childhood obesity.

Running head: HOW TO PREVENT DISEASE 1
Childhood Obesity
Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Introduction
Childhood obesity is a risk factor that has increased the prevalence of chronic diseases
such as Diabetes Mellitus as the child grows older worldwide, in almost all countries including
New Zealand. To address the increasing incidence of chronic disease by preventing childhood
obesity, various initiatives that have been used to curb the menace are discussed here. Different
ways in which the initiatives can be implemented in the setting of New Zealand or local setting
will also be addressed. Several articles will be reviewed regarding effective means of preventing
obesity during childhood. Some ways have already been tried in different countries to address
the issue. A focus will be put on childhood obesity as the dietary factor that has been linked to
risk of chronic diseases. The school-based approach is the public health initiative that has been
used in many countries to address childhood obesity (Clarke, 3013) and is the initiative that will
be broadly discussed with emphasis on how it can be implemented in a local setting or a state
like New Zealand.
Preventing childhood obesity
There are a variety of standard features of currently available interventions to curb
obesity in children. Most of these interventions have been done in school-based programs with
adolescents and school-aged children. A list of outcomes from these interventions have been
targeted (Birch, 2009). These include increasing physical activity, reducing weight gain or
weight status, decreasing sedentary behaviors and changing dietary patterns. In as much as some
of the interventions have focused on a single intervention component such nutrition change, most
school-based interventions combine several approaches to achieve the targeted results. It was
pointed out that current findings indicate no definitive intervention that does much in preventing
childhood obesity (Birch, 2009). Only approximately half of the school-based interventions

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produce a significant change in weight status, physical activity or eating behavior. Despite the
limitations of school-based interventions, it is pointed out that this is still the most popular
intervention because schools are places where the young population spent more time, and
sometimes eat too.
Many other studies have also backed up school-based programs as probable ultimate
destinations for societies that want to reduce childhood obesity modestly. Schools were
discovered to be the most popular and attractive settings for implementing children interventions
(Khambalia et al. 2012). However, they also insist that research findings of the efficacy of the
school-based childhood obesity prevention programs remain mixed, with some showing great
efficacy while fewer others found very little difference. Of note are the gender differences that
were noticed in response to the interventions (Khambalia et al. 2012).
Schools make up a critical part of a child’s social environment which shape a student's
perception of dietary practices and physical activity on overall health. It has however been
difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of school-based programs despite research being done
many times in different settings (Zensen, 2009).
One of the ways to implement school-based interventions for example in New Zealand is
by putting in place policies in all schools that ensure regular physical activity among children,
for example on a daily basis. This will increase the chances of the same kind of lifestyle being
carried on into adulthood reducing the risk of chronic diseases drastically. This is the best initial
strategy to help improve the long-term health of adolescents and children (Dobbins et al. 2017).
Changes to the school curriculum to include activities that promote physical activity is a gold
standard strategy for implementing school-based anti-obesity programs.

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Another way in which the school-based initiative can be implemented in New Zealand is
by reducing consumption of carbonated drinks in schools. The government can regulate or
prevent the sale of carbonated beverages in schools. Even though they can eventually get the
same drinks at home, consumption will be significantly reduced due to the more time spent in
school. Teachers can also be encouraged by the government to discourage students from
consuming "fizzy" drinks. Putting in place policies to promote a healthy eating habit by the
government in all schools can significantly boost the efforts of reducing obesity. School
administrations can also locally tune their school menus to healthier ones. This strategy has been
proved to produce better results. The United States government, for example, started a national
school lunch and breakfast program back in 1946 to improve the diets of American children
(Story, 2009). This shows how the authorities can play a role in preventing chronic disease. It's
however difficult for the authorities to control what every student puts through their mouth
countrywide.
The school-based initiative can also be implemented by altering the food environment in
schools. School foods that are sold outside meals, which are referred to as competitive foods that
are available throughout the school day have contributed a lot to obesity among children (Story,
2009). Setting and implementation of policies that prevent or reduce the sale of such foods like
fast foods that children consume most of the time will aid in the reduction of obesity. However,
some authorities may be hesitant in implementing such policies fearing a decrease in revenue.
Conclusion
Setting into place and implementing policies that modify the school environment into one
that provides only healthy foods and imparts a healthy lifestyle in school going children has
more significant benefits in reducing obesity in children and when they grow into adults by

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carrying healthy lifestyle instincts into adulthood. Even though research that has been done
doesn’t conclusively show that school-based programs are efficient in dealing with childhood
obesity (Gonzalez, 2009), implementation of these programs is the way to go for now in local
settings until further research discovers a new and more efficient strategy for preventing
childhood strategy (Brown, 2009).

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References
Birch, L. L., & Ventura, A. K. (2009). Preventing childhood obesity: what works? International
journal of obesity, 33(S1), S74
Brown, T., & Summerbell, C. (2009). A systematic review of school‐based interventions that
focus on changing dietary intake and physical activity levels to prevent childhood
obesity: an update to the obesity guidance produced by the National Institute for Health
and Clinical Excellence. Obesity Reviews, 10(1), 110-141.
Clarke, J., Fletcher, B., Lancashire, E., Pallan, M., & Adab, P. (2013). The views of stakeholders
on the role of the primary school in preventing childhood obesity: a qualitative systematic
review. Obesity Reviews, 14(12), 975-988.
Dobbins, M., DeCorby, K., Robeson, P. H., & H and Tirilis, D. (2017). School-based physical
activity programs for promoting physical activity and fitness in children and adolescents
aged 6-18. Cancer.
Dodson, E. A., Fleming, C., Boehmer, T. K., Haire-Joshu, D., Luke, D. A., & Brownson, R. C.
(2009). Preventing childhood obesity through state policy: a qualitative assessment of
enablers and barriers. Journal of public health policy, 30(1), S161-S176.
Gonzalez-Suarez, C., Worley, A., Grimmer-Somers, K., & Dones, V. (2009). School-based
interventions on childhood obesity: a meta-analysis. American journal of preventive
medicine, 37(5), 418-427.

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Khambalia, A. Z., Dickinson, S., Hardy, L. L., Gill, T. A., & Baur, L. A. (2012). A synthesis of
existing systematic reviews and meta‐analyses of school‐based behavioral interventions
for controlling and preventing obesity. Obesity Reviews, 13(3), 214-233.
Story, M., Nanney, M. S., & Schwartz, M. B. (2009). Schools and obesity prevention: creating
school environments and policies to promote healthy eating and physical activity. The
Milbank Quarterly, 87(1), 71-100.
Zenzen, W., & Kridli, S. (2009). Integrative review of school-based childhood obesity
prevention programs. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 23(4), 242-258.