The PEEEL framework has enabled me to enhance the multidisciplinary approach that is required in policy and advocacy initiatives. I have noted that the framework is a vital component of a much wide-ranging public health policy backdrop (Anholt, Stephen & Copes, 2012). In my work experience, I have been involved in the communal policy intermediations and prevention of childhood obesity. During this experience, I was able to apply two of the PEEL disciplines. They are politics and economics. I learned that politics has to permit such policies to be effective. During my approach, I was able to implement several government policies and programs with respect to obesity. For instance, we assisted patients to adhere to nutritional rules recommended by national clinical guidelines. My initiatives were successful because we received political support from both the federal and the national government. With respect to economics, I was able to come up with an evidenced-based research that indicated that obesity among children was related to the parents’ socioeconomic status (Hardy, Bohan & Trotter, 2013). For instance, child obesity was prevalent among lower-income families in the United States.
From the above experience, I learned a lot of information about how politics and economics affected communal policy intermediations and prevention of childhood obesity. As such, I noted that government, medical service providers, and the public must work together to find and implement appropriate measures to end the consequences of obesity among the children. I learned that the government could play a huge role in preventing child obesity. For instance, Congress can pass laws that oversee nutrition classification on packed foods, advocacy, and calorie tagging on hotel menus. I also learned that economic decisions influenced food choices among American communities. In this respect, the government should bridge the gap that exists between social classes to enable all citizens to have access to foods that enhance healthy living. I will apply this knowledge in the future by encouraging all the stakeholders to formulate and implement laws that increase access to garden-fresh fruits and green vegetables.
In my advocacy related experience, I was also able to apply ethics and epidemiology. I participated in public campaigns sensitizing the public about the effects of child obesity. During these advocacy-related experience ethics issues arose. The concerns involved the forms of health policies that are allowed in the community, the likely unplanned consequences of favoring some health programs over others, and the method through which community health strategies and interventions are acceptable (Heinberg & Thompson, 2009). I was able to apply my knowledge in ethics in coming up with the best solutions to the above problems. With respect to epidemiology, I was able to conduct a study that linked the increase in child obesity with the availability of inexpensive and high-energy food and reduced physical activities in our societies. Because of this, I noted that obesity in both children and the elderly was going to become a health concern in the future.
From the above experience, I learned about much information with respect to ethics and epidemiology. I learned ethical issues for family-based interventions comprised of relatives’ rights and accountabilities to safeguard their children, views of obesity as child mistreatment or negligence. In the future, I will be able to use the knowledge gained in coming up with ethical decisions that meet the children’s best interest. Concerning epidemiology, I learned that the best method that can be used in the mitigation programs is allowing medical experts to participate in writing prescriptions for obesity prevention programs. In every society, medical practitioners have a great influence on the health choices of individuals. In the future, I will provide my clients with accurate and reliable information about obesity.
References
Anholt, R., Stephen, C., & Copes, R. (2012). Strategies for collaboration in the interdisciplinary field of emerging zoonotic diseases. Zoonoses and Public Health, 59(4), 229–240.
Hardy, L., Bohan, K., & Trotter, R. (2013). Synthesizing evidence-based strategies and community-engaged research: A model to address social determinants of health. Public Health Reports, 128(3), 68–128.
Heinberg, L., & Thompson, K. (2009). Obesity in Youth: Causes, Consequences, and Cures. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.