Childhood Obesity

Table of Contents



Introduction1

Assessment1

Qualitative indicators2

Quantitative indicators3

Physical Environment4

Background of study5

How children are affected by childhood obesity5

Efforts carried out to battle childhood obesity6

Diagnosis6

Outcomes Identification7

Planning7

Overall objectives and timeline for these activities9

Evaluation9

Conclusion10

References11

Childhood Obesity

Introduction

Obesity is known to be the result of difference between food consumed and the energy spent. This study aims to study the problem of obesity in context to children and adolescents aged 5 to 12. One of the most common prevailing health concerns among U.S. children and teens is obesity. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that between 1970 and 2000, the percentage of children aged 2 to 5 being overweight increased from 5.0% to 13.9%, and of children aged 6 to 11 increased from 6.5% to 18.8% (Centers for Disease Control). The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 1.6 billion people above the age of 15 were overweight and about 400 million were classified as obese in 2007 (World Health Organization, 2007).

Assessment

The community selected for assessment and community diagnosis was Chilton in the town of Wisconsin, which is located in Calumet County. The city's total area size is of 3.9 square miles (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). The total population size of Chilton is 3,933, with the primary population comprising of Caucasians (www.city-data.com). Hence the population includes a predominantly white community at 93.6% and Hispanic is next at 4.3%. It is a younger to middle-aged community, with the average age at 40.0 years old compared to Wisconsin town residents' average age of 44.3 years old. The average family house size is 2.3 compared with 2.4 for Wisconsin. The most dominant ancestry in Chilton is German, followed by Irish, French, U.S., Polish, and English. The average household income is $51, 973, with approximately 12.3% of households being at or below poverty level. The composition of the low income group includes 100% of the African-American, Asian, and Hispanic population, and 10.5% of the Caucasian population. 8.7% of the Chilton residents are estimated to have income below poverty level (http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov). In order to assess the physical and social environment factors, it is essential to use a perfect community as a basic template that enjoys a good quality life. Such a community works well together unlike an unhealthy community which is a result of adversity in physical, environmental, socio-economic, and political indicators. Issues pertaining to the community are the sole responsibility of the community and need to be addressed as a whole. A comprehensive collection carried out for Chilton, WI studied the basic needs such as food, shelter, education and access to healthcare.

Qualitative indicators

In Chilton, air quality index in 2010 was 36.0 and the average is 32.0. The radon screening was at a moderate potential. This might be due to manufacturing being the primary employer for Chilton. Qualitative indicators that were assessed were access to care, coverage of the population, and quality of services. There is one voluntary, critical access hospital in Chilton and 3 major, acute care hospitals within 20 miles. There are multiple clinic locations, including large organizations such as Affinity ...