Obesity Management Policy

Obesity is a global problem today. Over 65 % of the US population is obese. This translates to about 400,000 deaths each year that are associated to obesity (Finkelstein, and Zuckerman, 2013). The effects of obesity come on two phases. First, some people are affected by Obesity on psychological level. These are individuals who are engaged in stigmatization and bullying. For these individuals, the effect of obesity is mainly at a psychological level. They may suffer stress as a result of this problem and should be given psychological support at all times. Second, obesity lays a foundation for other diseases like heart disease and obesity. One way to combat these other diseases is by laying a proper framework to deal with obesity.

Obesity is a lifestyle disease. It is caused by two major lifestyle behaviors. First, obesity can be caused by an unhealthy diet. An unhealthy diet comprise of all foods that have high calorie content and a low nutritional value (Friedman, and Schwartz, 2008). Such foods are often converted to fats in the body hence leading to weight gain which precedents obesity. In order to avoid to gaining weight, people should engage in diets that are sound and that lead to overall wellness. Second, obesity can be caused by a sedentary lifestyle. People who engage in physical exercises are likely to control their body weight over time and hence avoid the obesity problem. Physical exercises could even come in and repair the damage done by an unhealthy diet. Physical exercises help manage body weight by making use of excess energy and preventing calories from being stored in the body in the form of body fat. This way, risk of obesity is eliminated.

Since obesity is a behavioral problem, it should be approached by promoting healthy lifestyles. Instead, should be encouraged to ditch unhealthy lifestyles and adopt better measures. Approaching this problem should be such that people are able to measure their risk of becoming obese based on the foods they eat along with their levels of exercise. Frameworks that promote unhealthy lifestyles that promote obesity should also be controlled. This could easily be done by creating regulations to be followed in the future by both individuals and organizations to avoid getting such parties promoting unhealthy practices.

While policies that have been created in the past have been beneficial to the fight against obesity, the number of people who have obesity continues to rise. It is therefore necessary to create another policy that will attempt to deal with the entire problem of obesity exhaustively (Finkelstein, and Zuckerman, 2013). The integrated approach of the four major strategy areas would be the most effective. This strategy integrates all the aspects of previous policies such that every aspect of preventing obesity is taken care of. The four major strategies comprise physical education and exercise, initiation of general policies, advertising to children and the public, and school nutrition and education.

Physical Education and Exercise

Physical exercise is an important aspect of every human being’s life as it promotes wellness. Today’s lifestyle does not allow individuals to get involved in physical exercises. First, there is a rising trend in the real estate industry where houses are developed leaving to space around the home. This prevents people from engaging in an exercise plan from around the home. Moreover, many roads lack footpaths that would otherwise be used for physical fitness. Even worse, cases of insecurity prevent children from engaging in physical fitness outdoors since their neighborhoods are unsafe.

To resolve the issue of insufficient physical activity, it is important that the policy ensures that there measures are made to ensure that children have sufficient physical activity both at home and at school. Adults should also be supported to have sufficient physical exercises each day by laying proper regulations. Both work institutions and schools to install frameworks for physical exercises. This would include a gym at the workplace and time allocated to physical exercises for employees. Schools on the other hand should ensure that children have at least 30 minutes of play time each day and that the time is actually spent actively by all children. By doing this, the school will ensure that children have sufficient exercise each day and contribute towards reducing the impact of obesity in the society.

Initiation of General Policies

General policies should also promote a healthy lifestyle. They should make the choice of a healthy lifestyle easier to make and hence increase the chances of living healthily and avoiding obesity (Finkelstein, and Zuckerman, 2013). Residential buildings should be constructed so as to allow sufficient space is left to allow for physical exercise in the home. Security should be enhanced so that people feel safer when engaging in physical exercises. This way, there will be higher possibilities that individuals will get involved in physical exercises.

Advertising to Children and the General Public

In the past, children have often been engaged in advertisements that promote unhealthy diets and games that promote a sedentary lifestyle. In this regard, the policy should seek to advertise against such foods and use simple language to show the effects of such lifestyles to children (Verduin, Agarwal, and Waltman, 2005). Specifically, organizations should be prohibited from deceiving their consumers into eating unhealthy meals. Organizations that peddle unhealthy meals should be required to provide their consumers with truthful information and show their consumers how best to avoid obesity while still taking their products. By doing this, organizations will be participating in the fight against obesity. Foods with very high calorie values should be banned completely. Organizations should be prohibited from creating hype over unhealthy meals that will eventually drive the figures of obesity high with time. Instead, they should be required to offer healthier meals that promoting a healthy lifestyle among both children and adults.

Some of the advertisements should be educative. Advertisements that educate people on obesity related issues should be encouraged (Finkelstein, and Zuckerman, 2013). It is important that people are informed about the dangers they put their lives into when they engage in a lifestyle that promotes obesity. There are many individuals who could be involved in these campaigns. First, organizations in the food industry should be involved in the campaigns. Other than just providing important information to consumers, with such campaigns, such organizations will acquire a loyal customer base.

Another party that can be used in creating obesity campaigns and advertisements is the government. It is in the interest of the government to have a healthy population. The government through its agencies and ministries should run advertisements promoting healthy eating among its people (Friedman, & Schwartz, 2008). It should also partner with organizations that promote a healthy lifestyle and create this message together. By promoting a healthy lifestyle, the government would promote healthy choices and lower their risk obesity in its population.

For the advertisement to take place, the government should lay down regulations in the new policy. Whether or not to advertise should not be decision for them to make. Instead, it should be required that all organizations engage in the practice continuously. Obesity will only be fought if various parties join hands and work towards a better lifestyle. A policy lays the proper foundation for the battle against obesity while at the same time managing the parties involved.

School Nutrition and Education

School nutrition is one aspect of obesity that has gained a lot of attention lately. In 2014, the president and First lady launched a program dubbed Healthy, Hunger Free Kids (Ferdman, 2014). Through this program, the president intended to introduce a healthier diet to school going kids and help prevent those kids from becoming obese. This is one positive action that has been made towards freedom from obesity. By introducing healthy diets in schools, the government should be able to lower the cases of obesity among children. The policy should also push for nutrition education that will see to the sensitization of children against the unhealthy meals. The education aspect of this idea will serve to end the wastage that has been associated with the introduction of the healthy food program in schools.

Conclusion

In conclusion, managing obesity calls for a policy that integrates all the four aspects of preventing obesity. The policy should promote a healthy lifestyle among both children and adults. Organizations such as schools, workplaces, the government, and organizations in the food and beverage industry should be involved in the fight against obesity through the policy. By doing this, the policy will be more effective in the fight against obesity than previous policies. Notably, it has all the aspects of previous policies and will therefore be expected to be more effective.

References

Ferdman, R. B. (2014). School kids are blaming Michelle Obama for their ‘gross’ school lunches – The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/11/24/students-are-blaming-michelle-obama-for-their-gross-school-lunches/

Finkelstein, E., & Zuckerman, L. (2013). The fattening of America: how the economy makes us fat, if it matters, and what to do about it. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.

Friedman, R., & Schwartz, M. (2008). Public Policy to Prevent Childhood Obesity, and the Role of Pediatric Endocrinologists. JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM, 21. Retrieved from: http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/resources/upload/docs/what/policy/friedman-preventchildhoodobesity.pdf

Verduin, P., Agarwal, S., & Waltman, S. (2005). Solutions to obesity: perspectives from the food industry1, 2, 3, 4. The American Journal for Clinical Nutrition, 82. Retrieved from: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/82/1/259S.full