Background of the study: Health education and health promotion are means used to promote and improve the wellbeing of populations and helps health resources (cdc. gov 2011). However; it has not received the attention needed. The lack of attention come from a variety of reasons, including: limited understanding of health education by those working in this field; lack of knowledge of and consensus on the definitions and concepts of health education and promotion; and the difficulty health educators’ face in demonstrating the efficiency and showing concrete results of the practice of health education.
Of course, there are many success stories relating to health education, particularly in the settings approach, such as health-promoting schools, workplaces, clinics and communities However, where boundaries are not well defined, implementing health education becomes more challenging. According to WHO (World Health Organization) being healthy is a state of physical, mental, and social wellbeing. When a person is physically sick, the condition of health is disturbed or compromise.
Centers for Disease Control believe that the main problem for the present generation is the practice of detrimental behaviors (cdc. ov 2011). These unhealthy behaviors include alcohol and drug abuse, environmental pollution, harmful nutrition and physical inactivity. a. The Problem being researched Health promotion involves doing many things to prevent diseases and to improve individual and communities health. However many organizations believe that the present generation and their offspring’s will age unhealthy compare to our parent’s generations (Nestle & Jacobson, 2000). The present generation will live sicker because they practice unhealthy behaviors.
These behaviors include the social behavioral, environmental and economic conditions that are the root cause of poor health, wellbeing and illness. Although there are progresses made in health issues like smoking, safe sex, and more people are drinking heavily, less citizens exercise enough to maintain good health, and obesity rates have increased in the last years. Obesity is a major concern in American population which leads to many other health problems su oblems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol and heart attacks.
I am concerned about the growth of obesity because I believe that healthy eating habits are the only solutions to healthy and prolonged life. b. Epidemiology of the problem According to the nih. gov approximately 69% of adults are overweight or obese with more than 78 million adult Americans considered obese (nig. gov 2015). Children have become heavier as well. The past years, the number of youth obesity has doubled, and the number of adolescents has more than tripled (nih. gov 2015). Public health workers are aware that obesity that starts at early childhood can lead to adulthood health problems.
Studies have shown that obese children are more likely to grow up and become obese adults. Statistics show that in United States, almost 13 percent of adults and older have diabetes and although rare 58 percent of children diagnosed with type two diabetes were obese (cdc. gov 2015). Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey shows more than 2 in 3 adults are considered to be overweight or obese, more than 1 in 3 are considered to be obese, and more than 1 in 20 adults to have extreme obesity(nih. ov 2015). Health promotion for obesity prevention is important because it can help lower the risks of many other health conditions which then reduce health care costs in the future by teaching people about healthy, nutritious foods, physical activity and behavior changes. C. Purpose/Rationale of the research Health promotion and education helps individuals and communities to take control and improve their health, by giving them the tools to reach their goals.
Although obesity has been linked to major health problem, Food is generally essential part of human life, such that attempting to change people’s nutrition habits can be interference into their life culture, society, and relationships. For example, where I grow up, it is part of the life culture to share food for every important event. Moreover, Physical activity also has different meanings for different cultural and socioeconomic groups, with implications for exercise interventions.
During the last 30 years, obesity numbers have more than tripled among adolescents. Many health issues like high blood pressure, high blood pressure and diabetes are related to being obese (cdc. gov 2011). Public health workers, with the assistance of parents have the responsibility to help put in place programs to prevent obesity. These programs should promote healthy nutrition, education and physical activities daily. As a parent of two, and also a future health care worker the growing problem of obesity constitutes an important crisis that concerns me.
Everyday life changes can be easy with a combination of efforts to improve behavior, habits and awareness, and create environments that support good health habits (nih. gov 2015). We should be able to improve the way we eat, introduce physical activity to our daily schedule, and treat our bodies with respect. I believe that if used the correctly, health promotion and behavior changes, help improve the education and ability of individuals and communities in relative to unhealthy behaviors.
II. Review of Literature his article outlines the importance of our body image according to today’s society. Body weight is a fairly important subject for many reasons. Our personalities are strongly associated with our bodies. Food represent a social vital aspect of humans and socially central aspect of human life, such that attempting to change people’s food habits can be an intervention into their culture, society, and relationships (Nestle & Jacobson 2000). Physical activity also has different meanings for different cultural and socioeconomic groups, with implications for exercise interventions.
This online article describes school health guidelines for promoting healthy eating and physical activity, including coordination of school policies and practices; supportive environments; school nutrition services; physical education and physical activity programs; health education; health, mental health, and social services; family and community involvement; school employee wellness; and professional development for school staff members. Students participated in a school-based interdisciplinary intervention over 2 school years.
Planet Health sessions were included within existing curricula using classroom teachers in 4 major subjects and physical education. Sessions focused on decreasing television viewing, decreasing consumption of highfat foods, increasing fruit and vegetable intake, and increasing moderate and vigorous physical activity. National leadership is needed to ensure the participation of health officials and researchers, educators and legislators, transportation experts and urban planners, and businesses and nonprofit groups in formulating a public health campaign with a better chance of success.
The authors outline a broad range of policy recommendations and suggest that an obesity prevention campaign might be funded, in part, with revenues from small taxes on selected products that provide “empty” calories-such as soft drinks-or that reduce physical activity-such as automobiles. “Are health care professionals advising obese patients to lose weight? ” is an article by health care department to determine if obese patients are receiving proper counseling about their weight and a plan to help lose weight. The study was a random telephone survey conducted in 1996. Over ten housand obese adults had participated and only 40% were counseled and had a plan in place to work on their weigh.
According to this article on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website in 2011, controlling obesity has become one of the highest priorities for public health practitioners in developed countries. In the absence of safe, effective and widely accessible high-risk approaches (e. g. drugs and surgery) attention has focused on community-based approaches and social marketing campaigns as the most appropriate form of intervention. However there is limited evidence in support of substantial effectiveness of such interventions.