Introduction
This community advocacy project is aimed at addressing obesity in children. The word “children” in the context of this project is referred to an aggregate from the community, age 5 and seventeen. The questions are listed below.
- What are the causes of obesity in children?
- Why is this health problem prevalent in children?
- Are there policies addressing the problem?
Definition of community and aggregate
A community is a collection of men, women and children. The people interact objectively with their immediate environment (Bartholomew et al., 2011, p. 520). On the other hand, an aggregate is defined as a section of a community with a single or multiply similar attributes, derived from their environment or human-person characteristics.
Differences between a community and aggregate
Community and aggregates interrelate at the same level of consideration. In community health nursing, a community is a composition of aggregates. These aggregates can be individual people. Besides, aggregates are distinguished from community based on the level of risk of advocacy: either high or low risk. They can be individuals or subgroups forming aggregates.
Action plan
The action plan for this advocacy project is based on Christoffel’s conceptual framework for advocacy. The aggregates identified from the community are the children with obesity as a health problem. The three stages are information gathering’ strategy designation and action plan implementation stage.
Information collection stage
The information collection stage will involve data gathering about the obese children in the community. In this stage, the collection of data will remain within the boundaries of the questions that the advocacy project seeks to answer. Three data gathering dimensions will be considered they include patterns of periodicity of obesity in children and determination of the size of the obesity problem.
In addition, this stage will put into consideration the intended success of this project concerning the aggregate. In addition, bottlenecks to the information gathering will be identified at this stage. A team of three project members will take up this process. The resources required are information collection notepads and fare for travelling to reach various locations of the aggregates. This stage is allocated a timeframe of one month.
The second stage is a formulation of strategies required during advocacy. After gathering information, both learned and common people need to receive the information about obesity in the chosen aggregates. Another target group to receive the information includes lawmakers of the community.
Besides, this stage acts as a stepping-stone to reaching and engaging coalitions for raising resources required in the advocacy of obesity as a problem. Based on the gathered information, policy allegations and suggestions formulated at this stage aims at enhancing advocacy objectives obesity. Resources required at this stage include mailing material and conference halls. Three research members will be needed for this stage, which will last for a month.
The action stage will conclude Christoffel’s conceptual framework. Having gathered information and laid strategies for advocating obesity as a health problem, the last intention is to implement obesity advocacy strategies (Bartholomew et al., 2011, p. 520). The project favors press releases, testifying by family members of children with obesity and passing of laws regarding obesity. Implementation will call for the hiring of lawyers to help in the passing of the laws, cash for transporting selected members of the community to testify, and the hiring of halls for the press release of the findings.
Levels of prevention in epidemiology
Literature provides three levels of prevention in epidemiology. The levels are primary, secondary and tertiary. Primary levels pay keen attention to laying preventive strategies to halt a health issue like a disease from occurring. In this project, we seek to answer the causes of obesity in young children. Theoretically, primary measures that are intended to be undertaken include educating parents of vulnerable children about the causes of obesity. Specific examples will be to urge parents to monitor nutritional routines aimed at preventing the occurrences (Merrill, 2009, p. 15).
Secondly, secondary levels take into consideration the identification of symptoms of a health problem. In the project, we will identify the aggregates with beginning symptoms and apply the treatment. The aggregates that shall have been already shown commencement of obesity symptoms will be given a prescribed treatment to halt the condition from extending to a full-blown stage (Merrill, 2009, p. 15).
The last stage in prevention for advocacy is tertiary (Merrill, 2009, p. 15). This stage is executed when the second stage of prevention is questionable. It is characterized by irreversible damage caused by a health problem. In the case of obesity, permanent development of conditions is rare. Most levels of obesity revolve around secondary stages. In case of occurrence of the tertiary stage, an intervention will involve teaching the affected habit change, allowing for putting the already existing condition under check.
Theoretical model
Saul Alinsky’s theory of Community Organization Theory will be used as an approach for every Epidemiology level (Minelli & Breckon, 2008, p. 143). The main concepts in this theory are taking up an initiative to aid people with a common characteristic or need to figure out their aims, gather resources and roll out an action plan. This theory suggests the formation of a leadership structure to hasten or give problem-solving efficiency.
Each level of epidemiology prevention as described above bears requirements for an advocacy organizer’s role as a success catalyst. This is done by empowering the chosen aggregates to create a change in the obesity problem. Children from the community will be grouped as identified by every level, resources mobilized, and level-centered solutions applied.
Outcome goals
The two outcome goals for this advocacy project are:
- To reduce and/or eliminate obesity health problems in children
- To impart preventive measures to the entire community to prevent future occurrences of obesity
In the first place, that is, outcome goal number (a), obesity is not only health but also a financial and psychological problem. Reduction or elimination of obesity in children goes beyond intervention at the health level. Affects related to the self-esteem of children with obesity have to be addressed (Isaacs & Colby, p. 266).
In the light of financial aspects, the bills for footing the care given to the children with obesity are a burden to the parents of the children. It is also a notable trend the current world values slimmer bodies as opposed to overweight sizes. The implication is an obese child may lack interaction with peers. The intervention required at this stage, therefore, is to look at the levels of prevention and classify the identified aggregates based on the levels. Secondly, each victim of obesity shall be treated according to the level of epidemiology prevention to which he/she belongs. This is a good intervention as it is specific to the condition of obesity.
To enact this intervention, several people have to be influenced in the community. The people that will be influenced include the community and the local administration. The community in this context refers to a number of individuals. The individuals are categorized into professionals in the health, parents of the affected children, adults with obesity health problems and funding institutions. The cost will be feasible since we only require training of a section of the community and station them in health centers to act as anti-obesity agents. Willing adults with obesity health problems emanating from childhood will provide testimonies targeting to advocate obesity with urgency.
The second outcome goal is related to imparting lasting education to both vulnerable and health aggregates in the community. The inclusion of health aggregates is important because obesity does not stay with a single group alone. It affects anybody provided there is vulnerability. This stage requires a comprehensive education program for the masses mentioned. The education program will cover obesity not only in childhood but also in the adult age. To meet the goals, to embrace a good outcome, the development of a curriculum is required. This curriculum must be designed in such a way that it reaches the requirements of aggregates categorized into children and adults. Adults can further be divided into literate and illiterate groups.
To make this intervention successful, several institutions that will act as education dissemination media have to be identified. The identified institutions are schools, local health institutions and affiliation to non-governmental organizations charged with community welfare. The essence is to reach as many aggregates as possible. The selected institutions will largely implement primary level prevention measures. However, local health centers will provide secondary level preventive measures to the public.
The people required to be influenced to enact the program include legislators, curriculum developers and nursing professionals. To a lesser extent, community members would be influenced. The reason lies in the fact that the community will be the receiver of the program. The program is feasible; pegging on the truth that curriculum development will only require negotiating with concerned bodies for the change. Besides, the curriculum will not be examinable in schools. It will only advocate for awareness of obesity and its effects.
Evaluation measures
Formative measures:
- Conducting of response level from leaders
- Determination of success of the project through carrying out pilot projects
Summative measures:
- Examination of the aggregate’s new health status through physical exercises
- Physiological examination of the advocated groups (Zepeda, 2008, p.45)
References
Bartholomew, L.K. et al. (2011). Planning Health Promotion Programs: Intervention mapping. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Isaacs, S.L., & Colby, D.C. (2009). To improve Health and Health care. New Jersey: Jossey-Bass.
Merrill, R.M. (2009). Introduction to epidemiology. Ontario: Jones &Bartlett.
Minelli, M.J., & Breckon, D.J. (2008). Community Health Education: settings, roles and Skills. Ontario: Jones &Bartlett.
Zepeda, S.J. (2008). Professional Development: what it works. New York: Eye on Education.