Public Health Policy And Childhood Obesity

By Author: Jaime Bradley
Total Articles: 1
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Obesity is one of the most serious issues facing the world today. Childhood obesity reveals an increasing trend since more and more children become obese every day. This can be attributed to a number of factors, some of them being environmental and genetic. Faulty lifestyle habits, such as bad diet and lack of exercise, also contribute greatly to obesity. There are many negative effects of obesity, especially for children. The health risks are the most dangerous consequences caused by obesity. Obese children have a higher probability of contracting diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Other effects include low self-esteem among children with weight problems, which later affect their social and academic life.
According to the quality essay, there are public policies that have been established to help tackle this problem. In the United States, for instance, the government, through the public health sector, has embarked on a project of encouraging physical exercise and keen nutrition in efforts to reduce childhood obesity. One of the intervention methods, which ...
... is frequently used, is the hospital-based intervention.
This intervention method includes the use of counseling and therapy for children dealing with the problem of obesity. It also entails the use of drug therapy to help with weight loss and weight management. In cases when the issue is extreme, bariatric surgery is applied, which is essentially the surgical removal of fat from the body in the quest of a leaner and more manageable body.
The involvement of trained public health workers, when undertaking the counseling sessions, is a strong selling point for this intervention method. It can guarantee that the children get professional help when dealing with this grave problem. The obese children are also given a chance to learn about the advantages of healthy living owing to counseling.
However, the use of drugs and surgery may be seen as a step too far. Weight loss should be as natural process as it can be. In the pursuit of eliminating the problem through pharmacological means, one might add more complications to the body. Therefore, the problem of childhood obesity should be addressed through other means but not by the use of drugs or surgery.