Proposed Implementation Plan with Measurable Outcomes
The solution to childhood obesity is the implementation of initiatives to prevent unhealthy weight gain and to manage the weight for children who already have excess weight. There needs to be education initiatives that will encourage parents to promote a healthy lifestyle for their children. Children need to have healthy diets and engage in physical activity as often as possible. A healthy lifestyle can be promoted both in the school and the home environment. At school there should be rules and regulations that promote healthy lifestyles such as compulsory participation in sports and regulated sale of unhealthy food options (Hanks, Just & Wansink, 2013). At home, the parents should be able to control the types of foods and food portions that their children have. They should also promote participation in physical activity to promote metabolism and avoid gaining of unhealthy weight.
In the medical setting, there is not much that can be done to improve the issue of childhood obesity. There are no medications currently approved for use in childhood obesity in America. In fact, the American Association of Pediatrics discourages use of medication to control children’s weight. However, healthcare professionals can participate in education of parents to promote healthier lifestyles (Bleich et al., 2013).