Health Promotion Proposal, Part 1 (Obesity in Washington DC)
Over the duration of this course you will write a scholarly paper, Health Promotion Program
Proposal, (Obesity in Washington DC), addressing existing nursing knowledge related to health
promotion.
In the proposal, you will also develop a health promotion program to meet a health need of a
vulnerable population in your potential concentration area or community.
The proposal must demonstrate graduate school level writing and critical analysis. The final
version of your proposal is due in Unit 8 (See Unit 8 for more information).
For this assignment you will submit Part One of your proposal, detailing a health problem that is
prevalent within your selected group and demonstrating your research of health promotion
strategies for addressing this specific health problem
Obesity in Washington DC
Introduction
The health problem is obesity in Washington, District of Columbia. In the United States,
obesity and overweight are today so prevalent considering that 66 percent of Americans are
either obese or overweight. In Washington DC, the number of those who are obese exceeds those
who are overweight. Obesity remains one of the main public health problems, and is even
regarded as a long-standing epidemic by health officials. In 2012, the prevalence of obesity in
District of Columbia was 21.9 percent (Trust for America’s Health & Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation, 2014). In essence, Washington, D. C. is presently the 2 nd least obese state
countrywide.
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HEALTH PROMOTION PROPOSAL, PART 1 (OBESITY IN WASHINGTON DC)
Vulnerable population and setting: the vulnerable population is children and the setting is
schools and at homes. Currently, as regards childhood obesity in Washington, DC, the current
obesity rate is 21.4% and it ranks 3 rd out of 51 states in the U.S. This rate is for 10 to 17 year old
children (Trust for America’s Health & Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2014). In my
proposed health promotion program, what I will specifically address is diet and lifestyle. I will
seek to alter the diet of the 10-17 year olds and promote lifestyle changes by recommending
healthier lifestyles such as exercising and doing physical activity. The proposed outcome is to
reduce the rate of childhood obesity in Washington, D.C. to 12.5% or less within the next 12
months from the current 21.4%.
Risk factors for childhood obesity
The risk factors for childhood obesity include the following: (i) diet: consuming foods
with high-calories like vending machine snacks and baked foods, is a key risk factor in addition
to desserts, candy and soft drinks that have sugar (Pratt et al., 2013). (ii) Lack of physical
exercise: in essence, a child who does not exercise has a higher chance of gaining weight since
he/she does not burn calories by doing physical exercise. Playing video games and watching TV
are some of the inactive leisure activities which contribute to this health problem (Voigt,
Nicholls & Williams, 2014). (iii) Family history: a child is at a great risk of being obese if she/he
comes from a family of overweight children. The child might also have a higher likelihood of
becoming overweight particularly within an environment in which foods of high calorie are
available all the time and doing physical activity is not encouraged. (iv) Psychological factors: it
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HEALTH PROMOTION PROPOSAL, PART 1 (OBESITY IN WASHINGTON DC)
is notable that some children eat too much in order to deal with problems or cope with emotions
for instance stress, or just to deal with boredom (Schaub, 2014). (v) Socio-economic factors:
Pratt et al. (2013) stated that foodstuffs that will not spoil very fast, for instance cookies,
crackers and frozen meals usually have a lot of fats and salts. These types of foods are typically
less costly relative to healthier foods. They are also an easier option compared to healthier foods.
Literature Review – evidence-based interventions
Interventions for childhood obesity include the following: (i) weight-loss surgery: this
procedure could be an effective and safe option for very obese children who have not been able
to reduce their weight with the use of conventional methods of weight-loss. Nonetheless, just as
with any sort of surgery, there are possible long-lasting complications as well as risks associated
with weight-loss surgery (Schaub, 2014). This procedure is essential especially if the weight of
the child poses a greater threat to his/her health compared to the possible risks of surgery. (ii)
Healthy eating: parents are the people who purchase food, cook it and decide the place wherein
the food would be eaten. Even small changes in diet could make a significant difference in the
health of the child. Pratt et al. (2013) pointed out that vegetables and fruits should be chosen
when purchasing groceries, sweetened beverages should be reduced, the number of times a child
eats should be limited, the number of times the family eats out particularly at fast-food eateries
should be limited, and appropriate portions of food should be served.
(iii) Doing physical activity: physical activity is an essential part of weight for children.
This is primarily because it burns calories, builds strong muscles and bones, and assists the child
to sleep well during the night. In essence, these kinds of habits established when the child is still
young will help them to maintain healthy weight regardless of the social influences, hormonal
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HEALTH PROMOTION PROPOSAL, PART 1 (OBESITY IN WASHINGTON DC)
alters, as well as rapid growth that usually result in overeating (Davison et al., 2013). (iv)
Medications: the prescription medicine for weight loss available in the United States presently is
orlistat/xenical. This drug is approved for children who are older than twelve years, and it serves
to prevent fat absorption in the intestines. In case the child has a high level of cholesterol, it is
recommended to provide him/her with a statin medication (Sung-chan et al., 2013).
Review of the strengths and weaknesses of the sources used
Source Strength Weakness
1 Davison, K. K., Jurkowski, J. M., Li, K., Kranz,
S., & Lawson, H. A. (2013). A Childhood
Obesity Intervention Developed by Families:
Results from a Pilot Study. International Journal
of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity;
10: 3.
Source is up-to-
date and relevant
Does not describe
the causes or risk
factors
2 Pratt, C. A., Boyington, J., Esposito, L.,
Pemberton, V. L., Bonds, D., Kelley, M., &
Stevens, J. (2013). Childhood Obesity
Prevention and Treatment Research (COPTR):
Interventions addressing multiple influences in
childhood and adolescent obesity. Contemporary
Clinical Trials, 36(2), 406-413.
doi:10.1016/j.cct.2013.08.010
Source is up-to-
date.
Properly describes
the interventions
for childhood
obesity
It is research-
based
Does not describe
pharmacological
interventions
3 Schaub, J. P. (2014). Childhood Obesity:
Solutions to a Growing Problem. Integrative
Weight Management, 123. doi:10.1007/978-1-
4939-0548-5_9
Source is up-to-
date and provides
a clear description
of the health
problem along
Does not specify
what policy makers
can do to prevent
the health problem
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HEALTH PROMOTION PROPOSAL, PART 1 (OBESITY IN WASHINGTON DC)
with apt
interventions
4 Sung-Chan, P. P., Sung, Y. W., Zhao, X. X., &
Brownson, R. C. (2013). Family-based models
for childhood-obesity intervention: a systematic
review of randomized controlled trials. Obesity
Reviews, 14(4), 265-278. doi:10.1111/obr.12000
Source is up-to-
date
Is research-based
Does not describe
what schools can do
to provide healthier
meals for children
5 Voigt, K., Nicholls, S. G., & Williams, G.
(2014). Childhood Obesity Interventions, Equity,
and Social Justice. Oxford University Press.
doi:10.1093/acprofoso/9780199964482.003.000
5
Source is up-to-
date
Clearly describes
the interventions
for childhood
obesity
Does not clearly
describe the causes
or risk factors
Implementation Plan
The implementation plan is as follows:
Communication idea Timeline
1 Communicate with partners in Washington, DC about
increasing meal reimbursement in order to support the
provision of high-quality and much healthier foods in
Washington DC schools
August 15, 2014 to August 22,
2014s
2 Begin and expand promotional and marketing
programs to encourage parents in Washington DC to
get their children physically active.
August 23, 2014 – August 30,
2014
3 Encourage the increase of healthy and fresh foods in
Washington, DC by supporting farmers markets in
September 3, 2014 –
September 10, 2014
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HEALTH PROMOTION PROPOSAL, PART 1 (OBESITY IN WASHINGTON DC)
Washington DC through advising relevant authorities
to create a farmer’s management network.
4 Create a statewide childhood obesity prevention social
marketing campaign that will provide families in
Washington DC tools and information for preventing
childhood obesity.
September 11, 2014 –
September 16, 2014
5 Launch a healthy living challenge to the children of
Washington DC that would incorporate obesity
prevention social marketing campaign.
September 18, 2014 –
September 28, 2014
6 Recommend to policy makers in Washington DC to
improve physical activity as well as nutrition policies
within child care settings in Washington, DC.
October 2, 2014 – October 7,
2014
7 Provide resource opportunities and education for
primary care providers and other healthcare
practitioners to promote prevention of childhood
obesity.
October 10, 2014 – October
17, 2014
8 Promote healthier environments in pre-school and
school settings
October 18, 2014 – October
23, 2014
9 Recommend policy makers to reduce advertising and
marketing to children
October 24, 2014 – October
25, 2014
Health promotion/disease prevention conceptual or theoretical model
The health promotion/disease prevention theoretical model applied is the Relapse
Prevention theoretical model. As per this theoretical model, people who are starting regular
physical activity as well as exercise programs may be helped by interventions which assist them
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HEALTH PROMOTION PROPOSAL, PART 1 (OBESITY IN WASHINGTON DC)
to expect factors or barriers that could contribute to relapse. The key concepts of this theoretical
model include lifestyle rebalancing, cognitive reframing, and skills training (Davison et al.,
2013).
References
Davison, K. K., Jurkowski, J. M., Li, K., Kranz, S., & Lawson, H. A. (2013). A Childhood
Obesity Intervention Developed by Families: Results from a Pilot Study. International
Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity; 10: 3.
Pratt, C. A., Boyington, J., Esposito, L., Pemberton, V. L., Bonds, D., Kelley, M., & … Stevens,
J. (2013). Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research (COPTR):
Interventions addressing multiple influences in childhood and adolescent obesity.
Contemporary Clinical Trials, 36(2), 406-413. doi:10.1016/j.cct.2013.08.010
Schaub, J. P. (2014). Childhood Obesity: Solutions to a Growing Problem. Integrative Weight
Management, 123. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-0548-5_9
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HEALTH PROMOTION PROPOSAL, PART 1 (OBESITY IN WASHINGTON DC)
Sung-Chan, P. P., Sung, Y. W., Zhao, X. X., & Brownson, R. C. (2013). Family-based models
for childhood-obesity intervention: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
Obesity Reviews, 14(4), 265-278. doi:10.1111/obr.12000
Trust for America’s Health & Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2014). The State of Obesity:
Voigt, K., Nicholls, S. G., & Williams, G. (2014). Childhood Obesity Interventions, Equity, and
Social Justice. Oxford University Press.
doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199964482.003.0005