Introduction
The best approach of conveying a technical concept on childhood obesity to a class of students would be through a case study developed from interviewing the director of pediatric health and weight management center in Illinois. The objective of the case study would be to make the class of students understand how Illinois successfully addressed the problem of childhood obesity through improved nutrition, physical exercise, and screen time policies in certified child-care centers within the state. From the interview with the director, it was ascertained that the policy approach for the codification of obesity prevention strategies in child-care centers was established by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in Illinois in collaboration with the Illinois Early Learning Council.
Main body
Child-care centers across Illinois serve nearly 200,000 children from birth to around five years of age (Johnson & Johnson 2015). Through improving child-care quality values with respect to obesity prevention, child-care centers have a chance to influence positively the health and lasting outcomes of the most susceptible children in Illinois (Johnson & Johnson 2015). In 2012, personnel from Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC) and Illinois Action for Children started to develop an approach for the expansion of obesity prevention practices across the state. First, they established a subcommittee to delve into the opportunities for the incorporation of health into the obesity prevention agenda.
Second, they embarked on the revision of the administrative rule concerning licensing policies for child-care centers, which is also referred to as Rule 407. Following a study of the successful implementation of obesity prevention approaches, the subcommittee forwarded recommendations for the expansion of obesity prevention practices across Illinois and their incorporation in licensing guidelines for child-care centers. The main alterations to Rule 407 concerning obesity prevention were done in the areas of physical activity, screen time, and nutrition.
Conclusion
While there did not exist particular regulations concerning screen time under Rule 407 previously, Illinois became one of the regions that have restricted the amount of screen time allowed for children in child-care centers. The overarching concerns for successful policy implementation encompass the assessment of opportunities for the inclusion of obesity prevention in early childhood settings and carrying out helpful outreach to involve major stakeholders in the promotion of best practices of addressing the problem. Though recent studies portray a slight reduction in childhood obesity in Illinois and across the US, states should remain proactive in the adoption and implementation of policies that improve the well-being of children and ensure that they develop into healthy adults.
Reference List
Johnson, J & Johnson, A 2015, ‘Urban-rural differences in childhood and adolescent obesity in the United States: a systematic review and meta-analysis’, Childhood Obesity, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 233-241.