Prevalence of obesity in children

Discuss about the Childhood Obesity in Australia.

Obesity in childhood is now one of Australia’s real health problems of concern. The rising predominance rate and health impacts of obesity particularly among children in the range of 6 and 17 years have rendered it to be viewed as an issue in Australia (Magee, Caputi and Iverson, 2013). All things considered, it has now turned into a noteworthy focus of various health advancement campaigns formed in Australia by governmental and non-administrative offices (Denney-Wilson et al, 2013). Likewise, the predominance has set off the foundation of various health advancement programs around the nation utilizing distinctive methodologies which plan to accomplish more advantageous weight and to limit the effect of obesity in children in Australia.

Besides, the part of health professionals in giving health training to guardians and groups and in setting up successful childhood obesity prevention procedures has turned out to be more essential. The paper addresses the high obesity prevalence issue in the current years among Australian children aged between 6 and 17 years. It examines and evaluates issues related to childhood obesity prevalence in Australian, prevention programs and the processes involved in planning, implementation, and evaluation, prevention strategies adopted and the role of health professional in prevention.

Obesity refers to a condition resulting from an imbalance between the number of calories consumed versus calories utilized, leading to excessive or abnormal accumulation of fats in the body (Zimmet, 2014). The most accepted parameter for obesity is Body Mass Index (BMI) which is the ratio of body weight to height and helps to determine total fat of the body (Wickramasinghe et al, 2015). As Zimmet (2014) explains, obesity does not happen on its own but it is comprised of different disorder expressed as the phenotype of obese. It includes complex etiological links between metabolic, neural and framework of genetic on one hand and habits in food consumptions, social-cultural factors, behavior and physical activities on the other hand (Zimmet, 2014). Therefore, obesity should not be overviewed as just a cause of poor nutrition habits or inactivity, as it is usually perceived. It should be treated like other diseases.

The prevalence of obesity among Australian children aged between 6 and 17 years has been steadily rising over the last two decades. Statistics published by Australian Bureau of Statistics in (ABS) January 2013 indicate that around 25 percent of Australian children aged between 6 and 17 years (27 girls percent and 24 boys percent) are either overweight or obese (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). In 2012, National Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey indicated that 6 percent of children aged between 5 and 17 years were obese (Tseng et al, 2013). According to ABS statistics, the rate of obesity among boys in Australia aged between 6 and 12 years increased from 4 percent in 1995 to 7 percent in 2012.

Prevention programs of childhood obesity

On the other hand, the rate of obesity among girls aged between 13 and 18 percent rose from 13 percent to 18 percent over the same period (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). Generally, the statistical trends indicate that the obesity prevalence among Australian children will continue increasing if no effective intervention strategies are adopted. This issue is of great concern since studies have shown that children who are obese are likely to stay obese in childhood. In this regard, obesity among Australian children can be regarded as an epidemic and a social problem that requires being addressed urgently through effective strategies.

There are three phases of obesity aversion which incorporate primary, secondary, and tertiary. The primary prevention strategies involve the evidence-based obesity avoidance program modules that are executed in healthcare clinics, preschools, community settings and in the elementary schools; this modules comprise the CATCH (Coordinated Approach To Child Health) program in the elementary schools, health matters – involving Active Communities, health promotion, and growth as well as the environmental alteration of the training programs. It incorporates approaches for counteracting weight gain or decreasing weight, for example, legitimate nutrition and physical exercises. The secondary preventive strategies involve an intensive three month phase which involves the application of the MEND (Mind Exercise Nutrition Do it!) programs in schools for pupils aging between 6 to 12 years and in preschools for children aging between 2 to 5 years, this program was coupled by a variety of community-level activities, CATCH activities. For this reason, the secondary counteractive action stage is custom fitted towards limiting the advance of obesity once it starts. This stage includes strategies that assist to distinguish and to treat pre-clinical obsessive changes, for example, Hemoccult stool testing and colonoscopy screening keeping in mind the end goal to avert the obesity progression (Blass, 2016).

Tertiary prevention involves the strategies of; meal replacements, intake of very-low-calorie diets, bariatric surgery and weight-loss medications within a specific population in reducing and managing the hostility of obesity, especially in the children. The tertiary prevention stage focuses on diminishing the disability coming from obesity that has advanced to a severe stage. It incorporates activities concentrating on decreasing the effect of obesity, in this way improving the patient’s capacity, personal satisfaction and increase the lifespan (Mukhtar, 2013). A decent case of tertiary prevention is the cardiovascular recovery of a patient who has experienced myocardial dead tissue. The efforts to oversee obesity ought to be extensive, in other words, the efforts ought to be centered on children who are at high danger of developing obesity, people who are developing obesity and furthermore people with obesity that has advanced to an intense stage (Barnett and Kumar, 2014). However, greater attention ought to be given to individuals who are in danger of building up the condition. This contention depends on the preface that prevention is superior to cure.

Planning of the childhood obesity prevention programs

The prevention of childhood obesity is complex and should incorporate the different level of intervention ranging from the individual, community to the national level and different professionals from various disciplines such as nutritionists, family members, nurses and community members. The planning process of childhood obesity starts with forming a planning team that includes the health professionals, target population representatives, and leaders in the community (DiMaria-Ghalili et al, 2014). The planning process will start with the current situation assessment including the issues that lead to higher rates of diabetes and the resources that are available for change. The parameters that will be considered include the dietary pattern frequency, patterns in the physical activity, supply of food in the community and schools and identifying any health program that has addressed the problem of the childhood obesity (Allender, 2014).

The perceptions of the children about obesity should also be included in the planning processes. The assessment of the current situation is required to determine the extent of the problem. Identification of target for change and setting of the objective is also vital in the planning process which will suggest if the childhood obesity can be done at the individual, family or community level and the objectives will guide the researchers on what will be done.

The high predominance of weight in Australia has set off the foundation of tremendous aversion prevention program activities around Australia. There are various government and non-administrative organizations and projects concentrating on obesity counteractive action. Huge participation by Australian Federal government on obesity counteractive action began in 2008 when the obesity condition was included in ‘National Health Priorities in Australia (National Obesity Taskforce, 2016).

Accordingly, the national government built up a vital and far-reaching program for weight known as Annual Australian Obesity Summit. The central government has additionally been reacting to the issue of expanded obesity in children through the Department of Health and Aging and projects. Provincial governments likewise assume a part in obesity prevention through state divisions and offices. Besides, there are non-administrative offices and projects that are forcefully engaged with the childhood obesity counteractive action campaign. They include Obesity Australia, Obesity Prevention Australia, and Obesity Prevention and Lifestyle. As Denney-Wilson et al (2013) contend, adequacy in obesity counteractive action must be accomplished in the wake of consolidating both the prevention endeavors of the administration and non-government associations.

For the effective implementation of the childhood obesity prevention programs, the processes of implementation will be divided into various levels of individual, family and community level. Regarding prevention at the community levels, the obesity prevention component will be included in the school program by increasing availability of healthy food choices at the youth gatherings, increasing recreational facilities and modifying the social perception of obesity and healthy lifestyle behaviors through campaigns (Bhutta et al, 2013).

At the family level, the prevention program should ensure that there is the availability of healthy food in the household. More so, the family should support the children to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors. At the individual level, the processes involved include reduction of barriers that can enhance the activity and dietary patterns. The knowledge about the gravity of childhood obesity will be promoted to increase the future impact that could result to greater awareness on the advantages of changing lifestyle behaviors. The implementation processes will depend on the planning process and availability of resources (Sallis Owen and Fisher, 2015).

Evidently, evaluation is an integral component of the planning process. It justifies the resources used and gives direction for future action. Evaluation of the prevention program of childhood obesity will determine if the program was implemented as planned or if the objectives were achieved. After a period of one year, a re-survey will be conducted by using the same procedures. After acquiring the information, the information will be analyzed and the trends compared. This will give an overview of the prevention program have helped to achieve the objective of reducing through changes in the lifestyle and diet (Reynolds et al, 2015).

The first strategy adopted in childhood obesity prevention program in Australia is addressing lifestyle. The prevention programs are custom fitted to make people mindful of the advantages of lessening the obesity in children through getting sound nourishments in schools, successful parental care, gaining admittance to solid and reasonable sustenance, decreasing substance exposures to children, adhering to a good diet propensities, and participating in physical exercises (Zimmet, 2014).

The second system embraced by prevention program is giving treatment where the change in lifestyle has neglected to accomplish the proposed outcomes. Most projects give different medications which help to lessen or control weight in situations where obesity is creating itself or has advanced to a severe stage. Health promoters likewise give instruction to guardians on approaches to oversee children obesity, particularly where it has developed to a severe stage. Some exploration programs center on inventing new and more powerful methods for controlling obesity in children. Likewise, the government has been the demoralizing offering of intense calories sustenance through tax collection approaches (Mavoa, 2013). As Reynolds et al (2015) contend, the best obesity aversion approach is one that tends to address the changes in lifestyle. It is more advantageous to center on health plans and physical activity than to center around the undesirable effects of obesity.   

Health professionals have a greater chance to elevate exercises that assist to forestall or to control the obesity in children. To begin with, their endeavors may enlarge the experiencing effort activities through giving instruction to patients, groups and families on issues identified in childhood obesity (Lazarou and Kouta, 2013; Friis and Sellers, 2015; Gibbs et al, 2014). Unequivocally, the health professionals are mandated to instruct families and groups with respect to the circumstances and end results of corpulence among children and methods for aversion.

For instance, they can lessen obesity in children by offering guidance to guardians on nourishment, customary suppers, physical movement, and weight. School and group health professionals may use research-based evidence in planning health advancement for various population fragments. As Lazarou and Kouta (2013) contend, health professionals have a chance to comprehend the social and mental parameters that influence the health practices of children and adolescent with obesity. It is hence fundamental that they use such data in giving the best treatment to children with obesity.

Conclusion

Conclusively, the high and increasing rate of obesity among Australian children has rendered it to be regarded as a major health concern. Statistical trends indicate that the rate of obesity will increase further in the future if no effective intervention strategies are adopted. As mentioned, primary prevention (addressing lifestyle) is the more effective than providing the treatment where the condition is developing or has developed to an acute stage. The campaigns to prevent childhood obesity can be more fruitful if the efforts of the government and non-governmental agencies are combined (Hearn, Miller, Campbell-Pope and Waters, 2017). Established campaign programs use different strategies to prevent obesity but as noted, the one that addresses lifestyle is the most effective. Finally, nurses have a role in obesity prevention through providing counseling to families and communities on issues related to obesity as well as in designing the best health promotion approaches to obese children.

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