Community Health Promotion Plan Proposal
Childhood and adolescent obesity trends have been on the rise in the recent past attracting concerns of public health in many countries. Increase in health care costs due to obesity and related issues among children and adolescents has been witnessed in the United States (Cunningham., 2014). Risk of morbidity and mortality has also significantly been on the rise with most cases related to obesity that developed during childhood or adolescent stage. A larger percentage of population affected is those that live in suburban followed by urban areas, areas which are busy forcing people to practice unhealthy lifestyles; unhealthy feeding and less involvement in physical activities especially among the children and adolescents (Leech., 2014). Greenbelt community is not any different as far as unhealthy living is concerned mainly with the children and adolescents. It is a suburban community in Washington DC, whose children and adolescents are less involved in physical activities making them at risk of obesity and weight-related health conditions.
This has posed the need for physical education and sports program running in the community targeting children and adolescents. Facilities will include skating and bicycle riding lane, courts for playing tennis, volleyball, soccer, basketball and badminton and gym for the adolescents.
According to demographics that were produced by National Adolescent Health Information Center, they showed that adolescent population was the most growing part in the United States. Most adolescents live in a suburb than in rural areas and central cities. 19% of adolescents live in rural areas, 27.2% lived in the central city, and 53.8% lived in the suburban region. In 2014 children obesity and the overweight rate was 13%, and in 2016 the rate went higher to 32%. According to Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity for children and adolescents aged 2-19 years has remained relatively at 17% over recent years. A research that was done by Telford et al. (2014) on physical education and obesity among the school children indicated that physical education its practice can potentially reduce the incidence of obesity among the children.
Resources
Human resource is the most critical resource available in the community for the development of physical education and sports program. Labor will be obtained from the young people in the community who are energetic and have interest in physical education and sports but lack the opportunity to practice and perfect their hobbies. The readily available will influence others to develop an interest in physical education and sports.
There also exists a free ground which can be utilized efficiently and come up with various physical education facilities possible to be used by the children and adolescents. Programs of scheduled physical activities such as gym facilities for both children and adults can be developed to keep the population fit. Besides, the open fields allocated for the children in various apartments and residential areas are vital for utilization of such facilities for their play.
Potential businesspeople in the community can be convinced to fund the program in coming up with the facilities for the benefit of the community including their children. At the same time, the entire community can come up to address the issues of fitness by funding the sourcing funds from the community kitty to build sports centers for their children. This move is essential for the handling and reducing the childhood obesity and consequently the adulthood obesity. In the long run, a healthy population that is free from lifestyle condition will be achieved.
Local organizations in the community in conjunction with the city council and Nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs) in the community one of them being Child fund International, focusing on children and youths issues, can support the program.
There is a need for physical education and sports program on top of other already existing aqua aerobics agency in the community. The physical education and sports program will give an opportunity for children and adolescents to be involved in physical activities during leisure time in extension reduce the risk them being obese. Establishment of this program will be focused on children and adolescents in specific. Various physical education and sports activities will be offered which will accommodate most children and adolescents with different interests, hobbies, and talents. The services will be available within the same institution allowing a shift from one activity to another convenient by using less time. Children and adolescents will have an opportunity to learn various skills from one another. Healthy foods will be served in the institution at affordable prices to maintain the participants within and concentrate on their activities.
Literature review
Sport is a human right according to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), a specialized United Nations agency based in Paris. Sports and physical education are fundamental to all humankind more especially to the young. Physical education and sport are interlinked with health such as together they contribute significantly to holistic human development (Winnick & Porretta., 2016). When intertwined on top of public health, they lead to educational achievement, community cohesion and even sporting performance at the highest level. Young people in the community should be encouraged to gain an appreciation of Physical Education and sports to ensure lifelong active and healthy living.
Physical education and sports should be made primary activities of leisure activities children and the adolescents get involved in according to Thomas (2015). The value of creative play and exploratory sports is great when it is engaged as part of the childhood education.
According to Hills et al. (2015), provision of regular opportunities for physical activities and exercising enhances overall physical fitness and helps significantly to alleviate stress. Sport-based projects have been [proved to contribute to the fulfillment of the rights of children to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standards of health.
Regular physical education and sports can help children and adolescents achieve the desired amount of daily physical activity while improving their fitness and preventing them from being obese and suffering from related risks (Telford et al., 2014). Opportunities such as physical education and sports programs should exist outside school hours to increase physical activity. Such Community-based programs can be more efficient and convenient.
Recommendations
Society involvement in the coming up with an implementation of the care plan is very crucial. Community members have a significant responsibility to play in preventing childhood and adolescent obesity. The members should be made aware in advance of the plans to establish a physical education and exercising program in their community, what it will entail and the population to be targeted. This will enable them plan on time, set aside funds to subscribe for their children to attend physical education and exercising program. They should be made to understand and be convinced of how their children and adolescents are going to benefit from the program. Their support can take the program to a higher level concerning achieving objectives.
References
Cunningham, S. A., Kramer, M. R., & Narayan, K. V. (2014). Incidence of childhood obesity in
the United States. New England Journal of Medicine, 370(5), 403-411.
Hills, A. P., Dengel, D. R., & Lubans, D. R. (2015). Supporting public health priorities:
recommendations for physical education and physical activity promotion in
schools. Progress in cardiovascular diseases, 57(4), 368-374.
Leech, R. M., McNaughton, S. A., & Timperio, A. (2014). The clustering of diet, physical
activity and sedentary behavior in children and adolescents: a review. International
Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 11(1), 4.
Lobstein, T., Jackson-Leach, R., Moodie, M. L., Hall, K. D., Gortmaker, S. L., Swinburn, B. A.,
… & McPherson, K. (2015). Child and adolescent obesity: part of a bigger picture. The
Lancet, 385(9986), 2510-2520.
Telford, R. D., Cunningham, R. B., Fitzgerald, R., Olive, L. S., Prosser, L., Jiang, X., & Telford,
- M. (2014). Physical education, obesity, and academic achievement: a 2-year
longitudinal investigation of Australian elementary school children. American journal of
public health, 102(2), 368-374.
Thomas, J. R., Silverman, S., & Nelson, J. (2015). Research methods in physical activity, 7E.
Human kinetics.
Winnick, J., & Porretta, D. (Eds.). (2016). Adapted Physical Education and Sport, 6E. Human
Kinetics.
