QUESTION A
Obesity is a disease that refers to excessive accumulation of fat in the body which is not only of cosmetic concern; it rather increases the vulnerability of an individual to contract more chronic debilitating conditions (Afifi et al., 2017). Obesity is growing at a very faster pace all around the globe and needs to have an appropriate interventional plan for this as this is also of the major hidden causes of an increase in mortality (Afifi et al., 2017). These disorders directly or indirectly affect the overall health and well-being of an individual. Jones et al (2018), states that there has been a tremendous increase in childhood obesity which is majorly seen among the children of grades 5-12. Moreover, these children have also shown an inclination towards the development of eating disorders.
Eating disorder is a condition where an individual has altered and irregular eating habits along with the distress and concern for their current body weight and appearance (McElroy., 2017). This distress and concern, in turn, initiates a vicious cycle which eventually leads to more and more of uncontrolled eating thereby further increasing the weight (McElroy., 2017). Statistical analysis of the condition reveals that approximately 7% of school-going children in the US suffer from eating disorders which is gradually affecting their overall academic performance and other skills which would help them in their lives (McElroy., 2017). The control of eating disorder and obesity requires effective planning and determination which would help an individual in achieving the desired results (Katzman et al., 2017).
As a health economist of the State Health Department, it is important to devise a budget-friendly plan which would be effective in implementing in schools and would also induce a behavioral change in the thought processes of parents and children which will help them in overcoming the problem. Therefore BMI measurement program was implemented in the schools to address the problem where the BMI of children was noted and then it was evaluated whether the child is having a normal BMI or high BMI (Sliwa et al., 2019). As obesity in the children is a major issue for the country therefore this program attracted the attention of various parents, researchers, and other stakeholders (Murray et al., 2016).
Measurement of BMI is done by calculating the ratio between the weight and square of the height of an individual which ultimately provides an understanding of the percentage of body fat (Murray et al., 2016). Using BMI measurement as a tool for creating awareness among children and their parents was an effective measure to address the issue, as this had its visual implications which would provide a greater understanding of the body composition (Austin et al., 2008). BMI measurement program was also successful in inducing a behavioral change in the children as well as their parents which would eventually help them in developing a habit of making their children physically active. Kessler et al (2016) explain the impact of physical activity on obesity and its direct relation with an increase in BMI thereby reducing the excessive body fat. The program aimed at evaluating the BMI of children and then providing them a routine that makes them physically active and helps in preventing obesity (Kessler et al., 2016).
QUESTION B
1
The BMI measurement program was accepted by the majority of the parents and children as this provided a general understanding of the composition of one’s body (Shivakumar et al., 2018). The program intended to raise awareness among people and also aimed at highlighting the ill effects of obesity on a child’s overall health and well-being. The program aimed at measuring the BMI of students of 5-12 grades in a school and also keeps a record of their BMI for one year. The track over their physical activity and eating patterns were kept using a general questionnaire which was to be filled by the children. This helped in analyzing the behaviors of eating of children and also ensures that they are complying with the program (Shivakumar et al., 2018).
On evaluating the results of the research it was evident that certain factors were impeding the parents from following the protocol. The parental perceptions, responses from parents and children to the BMI measurement program, and other such implications were hindering the progress of the program. Kessler et al (2016) state that there is no evidence regarding the success of this program as the researches are still going on to evaluate its effectiveness and impact on the lives of children and their parents. Apart from this, there are nearly 13 states in the country that have implemented legislation for the BMI measurement programs in the schools as this was somehow helpful in raising awareness regarding the issue (Kessler et al., 2016). The program helped create a positive impact on the parents and children as this helped in initiating an urge to combat the problem.
2
The program has various strengths and weaknesses which provided an understanding of the areas which need further improvement to develop a thorough program that would help in preventing childhood obesity. As childhood obesity is increasing day by day it has become evident that the productivity and creativity of an individual are also decreasing as both of them are inversely proportional to each other (Nihiser et al., 2009). The program was successful in highlighting the ill effects of obesity on a child’s health. Moreover the program also successfully explained the importance of physical activity which would help in managing the problem to a greater extent. The questionnaire prepared for evaluation was also helpful in making a self-analysis of the situation which the child and the parents can understand (Nihiser et al., 2009). The program was successful in gaining support from the parents as they needed certain measures which would them and their child get out of this problem. The program also helped the parents in upgrading their knowledge regarding newer techniques that help analyze one’s health and fitness levels.
Although there were some weaknesses in the program apart from the above-mentioned strengths. Some parents were not ready to accept the changes and therefore they showed concern regarding the health of their children (Austin et al., 2008). Moreover, some children were not ready to acquaint with the measurement program as they reportedly complained of being bullied by their classmates who demotivated them (Austin et al., 2008).
REFERENCES
Austin, S.B., Ziyadeh, N.J., Forman, S.F., Prokop, L.A., Keliher, A. and Jacobs, D., Screening high school students for eating disorders: Results of a national initiative.(2008). Preventing Chronic Disease.
Afifi, T.O., Sareen, J., Fortier, J., Taillieu, T., Turner, S., Cheung, K. and Henriksen, C.A., 2017. Child maltreatment and eating disorders among men and women in adulthood: Results from a nationally representative United States sample. International journal of eating disorders, 50(11), pp.1281-1296.
Jones, M., Huffer, C., Adams, T., Jones, L. and Church, B., 2018. BMI Health Report Cards: Parents’ Perceptions and Reactions. Health promotion practice, 19(6), pp.896-904.
Katzman, D.K., Madden, S., Nicholls, D., Mawjee, K. and Norris, M.L., 2017. From questions to answers: Examining the role of pediatric surveillance units in eating disorder research. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 50(3), pp.259-265.
Kessler, R.M., Hutson, P.H., Herman, B.K. and Potenza, M.N., 2016. The neurobiological basis of binge-eating disorder. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 63, pp.223-238.
McElroy, S., 2017. 451. Treatment of Binge Eating Disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 81(10), p.S184.
Murray, S.B., Griffiths, S. and Mond, J.M., 2016. Evolving eating disorder psychopathology: Conceptualising muscularity-oriented disordered eating. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 208(5), pp.414-415.
Nihiser, A.J., Lee, S.M., Wechsler, H., McKenna, M., Odom, E., Reinold, C., Thompson, D. and Grummer-Strawn, L., 2009. BMI measurement in schools. Pediatrics, 124(Supplement 1), pp.S89-S97.
Sliwa, S.A., Brener, N.D., Lundeen, E.A. and Lee, S.M., 2019. Do schools that screen for body mass index have recommended safeguards in place?. The Journal of School Nursing, 35(4), pp.299-308.
Shivakumar, K., Amanullah, S. and Rouleau, N., 2018. A Complex Case of Binge Eating Disorder (BED). In Complex Clinical Conundrums in Psychiatry (pp. 199-204). Springer, Cham.
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