Stakeholders of Childhood Obesity

Problem Statement:

Childhood obesity has more than tripled in American adolescents in the past decade. Nearly 32% of American children are overweight or obese.

Stakeholders are persons, organizations, or other groups that share a stake in the issue. These are the people who are affect by the problem or the solution of the outcome. For childhood obesity, the most obvious stakeholder would be the children who are or potentially obese, but stakeholders who have to deal with the problem could potentially be organizations who promote clean health or insurance companies. Also, physicians and public health officials who have to deal with the affects of obesity on the society are stakeholders.

One intervention that could be done would be a family-based intervention. “Family intervention is implemented on the premise that parental support, family functioning, and home environment are important determinants of treatment outcomes.” (Ebbling, Pawlak, Ludwig, 2002) “For instance, one study reported that children who received dietary counseling, encouragement to exercise, and family therapy for 14–18 months had a smaller increase in BMI than controls, who received no treatment, though drop-out rate was substantial. (Ebbling, Pawlak, Ludwig, 2002)

Another intervention that could be very successful is a school intervention. Kids spend 2/3 of their day in school and I believe they should be served nutritious foods as some of their only options. “School-based efforts have been oriented towards prevention, targeting all students in selected classes to avoid stigmatization of obese children. Planet Health is an interdisciplinary curriculum that aims to decrease dietary fat consumption, increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, promote physical activity, and limit television time.” (Ebbling, Pawlak, Ludwig, 2002) “It is increasingly recognized that sugar-sweetened beverage consumption contributes to childhood obesity. Most states have adopted laws that regulate the availability of sugar-sweetened beverages in school settings. However, such policies have encountered resistance from consumer and parent groups, as well as the beverage industry.” (Mello, Pomeranz, Moran, 2007) If children aren’t given the option to have sugary beverages, then it’s possible that they will stop drinking them in other aspects of their lives as well.

Interventions that take affirmative action are the interventions that get the job done. Mayor Bloomberg just banned the sale of soda in places like movie theaters in New York and people are complaining and arguing that it’s unethical to make a ban like that. But, if he doesn’t try to stop the prevalence of obesity, who will? Educating people on the negative affects of the unhealthy foods consumed can be effective, but in order for a healthy diet to be implemented day in and day out, society has to change their behavior.

Work Cited:

Ebbeling, C. B., Pawlak, D. B., & Ludwig, D. S. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673602096782

Hassler, P. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.childrensdefense.org/policy-priorities/childrens-health/child-nutrition/childhood-obesity.html

Mello, M. (2008, April). The interplay of public health law and industry self-regulation: The case of sugar-sweetened beverage sales in schools. Retrieved from http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2006.107680