Combating Obesity: Public Health Interventions and Strategies

This essay examines obesity as a significant public health concern in Australia, highlighting its associated health risks like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. The essay proposes two key interventions: promoting regular morning walks through media campaigns and encouraging healthy eating with restricted fat intake through behavioral change interventions. It emphasizes the effectiveness of these interventions, citing research on the benefits of physical activity and dietary modifications for weight loss. The essay aligns these interventions with the Ottawa Charter action areas, emphasizing the development of personal skills and re-orientation of healthcare services. Furthermore, it explores the importance of community-based health awareness programs and the role of socioeconomic factors in influencing dietary habits. The essay concludes by summarizing the importance of these interventions in addressing obesity and promoting overall public health, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach that considers both individual behaviors and broader societal factors.

Running head: PUBLIC HEALTH CARE
Public Health Care
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction
Overweight and obesity is associated with certain health problems that can be lined
with negative emotional consequences and poor social health status. One of the main risks of
obesity is development of type 2 diabetes mellitus during the later stages of life. Other health
risk factors associated with obesity include high blood pressure or hypertension and increase
in the deposition of extra cholesterol in the arteries (hypercholesterolemia). The development
of diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia further increases the risk of
development of cardiovascular problems like stroke of cardiovascular accidents and other
complex heart diseases like ischemic heart disease, congenital heart diseases and chronic
heart disease. In rare cases obese individuals are develop sleep apnea (difficulty in breathing
while asleep) and other metabolic syndromes like fatty liver disease, gall bladder disease and
osteoarthritis (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 2019). The
following paper will focus on the obesity as the public health issue that comes under the
Australian National Health Priority Area. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW]
(2019), nearly 2/3rds of the adults in Australia (65% of the population) are over-weight and
the rate of obesity The essay will initiate by proposing two interventions that can be
effectively designed in order to combat this public health threat. One of the health-
intervention will be population-based interventions and other health intervention will be
directed towards behaviour change program. Overall the essay will highlight how the proper
use of interventions can be helpful for promoting weight-loss.
Intervention 1: Regular practice of morning walks encourage through media campaigns
The content of the intervention is based on several literary studies. Nandi et al. (2018)
have highlighted in their study that both morning and evening walk undertaken by the obese
individuals is effective in burning of the calories. Burning of calories helps to reduce Basal

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Metabolic Index (BMI) and thereby helping to reduce the body weight.Outdoor walks during
morning also improve future intensions to take part in physical activity and thus creating
provision of faster weightloss (Krinski et al. 2017). The intervention will be promoted
through media campaigns like social media campaigns or television media campaigns. Kite et
al. (2018) stated that majority of the population in Australia (both indigenous and non-
indigenous) are active users of internet and social media. Thus, social media campaigns will
help to reach out broader population. Practice of physical activity by the obese individual can
be regarded as secondary interventions for effective health promotion. The secondary
interventions help to intervene and then attempt to put an end of the disease before it
develops fully. Kite et al. (2018) stated that regular practice of physical activity helps to
prevent the risk factors associated with obesity like type-2-diabetes development and
atherosclerosis. The said intervention is aligned with two different The Ottawa Charter action
areas. The first one is the development of the personal skills. World Health
Organisations(2019) are of the opinion the media promotion of the physical activity like the
morning walk helps in the promotion of personal skills as it increases the tendency to practice
physical activity regularly. The second area includes re-orientation of the health care services
towards effective prevention of illness and promotion of health. Designing of the media based
morning walk campaigns is done under effective collaboration of community health nursing
professionals, physiotherapists, doctors and healthcare information technology professionals.
This will help to bring re-orientation in the healthcare services by embracing an expanded
mandate that is sensitive and that respects the cultural needs. The intervention is suitable for
the whole population. Numerous research have highlighted that physical activity like morning
walk is effective for promotion of mild to moderate physical fitness across all age groups.
The students, young professionals and adults who have limited time to take part in physical
activity due to their busy schedule is helping in reducing the sedentary tenure and thereby

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helping to promote physical fitness (Doherty et al. 2017). The social determinantof health
(SDH) is focused in this intervention individual lifestyle factors. Practice of physical activity
helps to promote healthy lifestyle and thereby helping to improve body mass balance (AIHW
2016).
Intervention 2: Healthy Eating with restricted fat intake: a behavioural change
intervention
Change in the behaviour in the conduction of the daily lifestyle will help to reduce the
body weight mass. One of this behavioural change intervention include consumption of
healthy diet that is high on fibre, green vegetables, fruits and protein but is low on fat and
carbohydrate. Fewer intakes of fat and carbohydrate coming in the form of junk food or
processed food will prevent deposition of fatty acids in the adipose tissues and unwanted
generation of the calories. Decrease in the calorie intake will help to reduce body weight
(Dowla et al. 2018). For the obese people the observance of restricted calorie intake diet plan
can be regarded as secondary intervention as it will help to reduce the severity of the disease
outcome. On the other than, the practice healthy diet will limited intake of calorie can be
regarded as primary interventions of the individuals who are over-weight (on verge of
becoming obese) or healthy adults. Proper regulation of diet helps to maintain optimal BMI
and thus helping to prevent unwanted weight gain (Hawkes et al. 2015). The intervention will
target the population as a whole as Hawkes et al. (2015) stated that behavioural change
intervention is effective for overall population in order to bring positive modifications in the
lifestyles. This interventionis aligned with the Ottawa Charter action area development of
personal skills. Preventing obesity is an international priority and in Australia, young adults
and people who are residing in the remote areas are at a high risk of unhealthy weight gain.
Behavioural change interventions will help to engage young adults in bringing sustainable

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development in healthy lifestyles like healthy eating and thereby helping them to combat
obesity. However, initiating and continuing behaviour change is a complex process.
Initiations and continuation of the behaviour change in adults who are undertaking obesity
prevention program promote realistic understanding importance of intervention (Kozica et al
2015). The intervention thus can be applicable for the entire population because healthy diet
is indispensible for comprehensive health and well-being. However, separate behavioural
interventions must be used for healthy diet promotion depending upon the age and socio-
economic status (McGill et al., 2015). The intervention focuses on the socio-economic
position and at the same time targets the individual lifestyle of SDH. The socio-economic
factors modulates the dietary habits like Aboriginals in Australia are less likely to feed on
healthy diet as they have poor access to quality food along with lack of health-related
awareness. Behavioural change intervention will help to bring in the overall social-economic
well-being. Change in diet style will help to promote change in the lifestyle patterns and thus
can be included under the lifestyle change interventions of SDH (AIHW 2016).
Effectiveness of morning walks and dietary interventions in obesity management
The randomised control trial (RCT) done by Kearney et al. (2014) highlighted
morning walk when done in groups’ leads to cause favourable alterations in the arterial
function of the obese adults. The arterial function alteration helps to reduce the threat of
cardiovascular accident. The results also showed the regular practice of morning walk help to
reduce body mass and fat or lipid content in the body and thereby promoting weight loss.
The RCT study conducted by Dhurandhar(2014)highlighted that those who are
attempting to lose weight skipping meals or breakfast might lead negative weight
management outcomes. Such that the higher level of confidence interval in weight
management was highlighted in the case frequent uptake of meal that is low on calorie and

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high on protein and fibres. Johnstonet al. (2014)conducted a meta-analysis of the randomised
control trial in order to ascertain the outcomes in weight loss against popular diets that are
high on macronutrients (diet lass) and named diet. The analysis of the 59 unique articles
highlighted that effective weight loss is observed in low carbohydrate diet or low fat diet.
Weight loss differences between individual who are with small meals per day, differs with
the individuals who have large meals per day. The meta-analysis highlighted that the
individuals who ate small meals at frequent interval are more likely to lose significant amount
of weight in comparison to individuals to consume large meals (low calorie meals). In order
to visualise a successful outcome in the reduction in body weight, the diet chart must be
followed strictly for 6 months and successful outcome will be measured based on weight loss.
The outcome of the study will be measured by comparative assessment of weight both
before and after the application of the interventions (Kearney et al., 2014). In order to
increase the outcome of the interventions in weight management, the mixed method study
conducted by Kullgrenet al. (2014)highlighted the importance of the community based health
awareness program. At the community level health education program, in order to maintain a
steady participation rate of the older adults or the Aboriginals, distribution of financial
incentives is prove to be effective s highlight by this missed method study with 8 months of
follow-up sessions.
Conclusion
Thus from the above discussion, it can be concluded that obesity is an international
health concerns and at least 65% of the people residing in Australia are battling from obesity.
Obesity is associated with several health risks like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, fatthy
liver disease and osteoarthritis. Two interventions that will be crucial in order to obtain a
population based, public health promotion approach for the reduction in obesity include

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physical exercise and diet management. Physical exercise intervention will be given in the
form of media campaigns and thereby making a cost effective prevention for obesity. Diet
education and change in dietary habits will be implemented through behavioural change
interventions. Both the intervention falls under the secondary intervention category and it
found to align with the lifestyle factors of SDH. Proper health education based on the
community heath set-up (differing socioeconomic factors) and motivational interviewing will
be indispensible approach for bringing change in lifestyles.

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