What Are The Benefits Of Volunteering At The Altamed Pediatric Clinic

I had the pleasure of observing a counseling session between Mrs. Natalie Porta, RD, LDN and a twelve year old male with his mother. The male’s pediatrician was concerned that the patient had gained a tremendous amount of wait from his last visit. The boy wanted to lose weight and change his eating habits. He mentioned that during the week at school he eats the schools lunch they provide and he brings a snack from home. He also mentioned that sometimes at home he has to cook whatever is available because his parents work a lot. Mainly he said he eats fast food a lot due to availability and the convenience for his parent’s busy schedules. The main strategy’s Mrs. Porta chose was goal setting and educating him and his parent on ways he can diet. After counseling the patient, the boy agreed to change his

Childhood obesity is a health problem that is becoming increasingly prevalent in society’s youth. For a number of years, children across the nation have become accustomed to occasionally participating in physical activities and regularly snacking on sugary treats. In result of these tendencies, approximately one third of American children are currently overweight or obese (Goodwin). These grim statistics effectively represent all the lack of adult interference, in regards to health, has done to the youth of America. The habits of over consuming foods and under participating in physical activities are all too common in the children of today. Children cannot solve this issue alone, though. These young people need to essentially be given the

The objectives for the Healthy People 2020 program include desired progress in nutrition and weight issues, and there are few communities in the country that do not need to pay a significant amount of attention to these problems (Healthy People, 2012). New Jersey is actually faring better than many states across many indicators, including overall obesity, however overweight and obesity as well as the behaviors that place people at risk for developing obesity are still major problems for adults and for children in communities across the state (CDC, 2012; Manalapan Board of Health; New Jersey Department of Education, 2010). Addressing childhood obesity in a manner that corrects problems from the outset and that teaches preventative methods in a proactive attempt to reduce both childhood and adult obesity levels is a key concern of Manalapan Township, specifically, and this issue is examined further in the following pages.

“The physical and emotional health of an entire generation and the economic health and security of our nation is at stake” a quote made by the First Lady, Michelle Obama, as she launches her comprehensive initiative to change the way children think about nutrition and physical fitness (“Learn the Facts,” 2010). Three decades ago, children lived active lives that kept them healthier. They walked to and from school, ate home cooked, reasonable portion meals with vegetables and played outdoors most of the time. Today, children ride the bus instead of walk, eat more fast food and snacks throughout the day because parents are busier, and watch more television or play video games rather than be active outside with peers (“Learn the Facts,” 2010). Young children are becoming overweight and obese along with being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes more frequently. They are making poor dietary choices, inadequate physical activity, and spending too much screen time all contributing to the obesity crisis. One of the effective solutions to reversing the trend of childhood obesity is to provide safe, affordable and accessible after-school health and physical fitness educational programs for all school ages across the nation.

In 2015, we estimated that 107.7 million children and 603.7 million adults were obese worldwide (The GBD 2015 Obesity Collaborators. 2017.). These numbers will continue to rise because of many reasons. There are quite a few families that rely on convenience, so instead of cooking a healthy home cooked meal some families will eat fast food simply because it is easy and quick. Some families may not have time because they are busy with work or other social activities. As a nurse, we can educate parents and their children about healthy lifestyles like eating habits and the importance of

Team BLAZE (Beginning Life with AmaZing Examples) is a project designed to decrease childhood obesity in low income school districts. Team BLAZE is a school based program that incorporates healthy nutritional options along with daily physical activities within a safe learning environment to low income regions in America. The program initially focuses on children ages 5-17 in the rural Mississippi Delta, where obesity rates “far exceed those of the state and nation” (Gamble et al., 2012, p 478). Team BLAZE is modeled after Save the Children’s CHANGE (Creating Healthy, Active and Nurturing Growing-Up Environments) study, a 2-year (2007-2009) randomized, controlled, community and school-based intervention to prevent unhealthy weight gain among rural school aged children (Save the Children, 2008). The CHANGE study used an innovative, multicomponent community-based intervention in rural America to improve the diets of children and proved to be successful in lowering rates of obesity at the studied locations (Save the Children, 2008). Likewise, Team BLAZE uses a multidirectional approach by targeting changes in school nutrition,

The West Fresno Family Resource Center’s mission is to empower and support the West Fresno Community to Achieve Optimal Health and Well Being.1 This center provides nutrition education and promotion programs for children, teens, adult and senior populations. The West Fresno Family Resource Center (WFRC) fits perfectly the community nutrition definition. It provides nutrition education and promotion to its community members by planning and implementing programs at its center as a way of reducing and preventing nutrition related health problems within its community. Ms. Yolanda Randles is the Executive Director and Ms. Janice Mathurin is the Director of Operations of WFRC. In addition, Ms. Christina Rodriguez is the Diabetes Self-Management Program

Reducing the problem of obesity; there must be an organized educational, political and legislation movement that is supported at the community level. Information from evidence-based practices used by nurses, health care providers, and other collaborators like dieticians, physical therapists, and social workers help the client to achieve a more favorable outcome. These interventions focus on diet, exercise, and behavior modification should be encouraged by nurses. Giving the client the power to identify the factors that contribute to excess food intake, can help the client to eliminate or reduce causes. Establishing realistic weight loss goals and exercise / activity objectives like losing bodyweight 1-2 lb./week increase the likelihood of success, assessing the client’s knowledge and discuss well-balanced diet plans plays major role teaching about diet plans. Discussing behavior modification strategies, such as self-monitoring and environmental management can provide client is the reinforcement that is needed. (Pearson, 2015) Continuing assessment is necessary not only to evaluate the safety or weight loss strategies but also reinforce positive benefits of weight loss. Including families and other stakeholders, such as schools, parks, private partners and politicians at all levels, we can make the obesity issue a focus for change. (John, F., & Kirsten, P., 2014). For programs like this to be successful, outcomes should not

We are evaluating Eat Healthy, Stay Active! (EHSA), a multi-level obesity prevention program that includes Head Start children, parents, and staff. Designed at the University of California-Los Angeles, Eat Healthy, Stay Active! (EHSA) is a national program that was piloted at Head Start in Columbia, MO in 2013. The program consists of staff training, parent training, and a coordinated classroom curriculum led by staff. They expanded the program to include medical students from University of Missouri, Columbia. Medical students take part in 4 training sessions and 3 EHSA parental education sessions. Topics for student training sessions include: culture of poverty, nutrition in the low-income populations, health literacy, while parent training

Obesity characteristics include having metabolic syndrome for risk factors diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes (Feizi, et. al, 2015). The prevalence in type 2 diabetes is becoming a significant problem in the United States. In fact since the 1990’s, only 1 -2 % of children with diabetes mellitus had type 2 diabetes and rates have grown since then (Rodbard, 2008). To help reduce the prevalence of these disorders, the Diabetes and Obesity Program at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has made important contributions to people that live in the Los Angeles County. The Diabetes and Obesity Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles develops, implements, and promotes innovative and effective strategies to combat both adolescent and adult diabetes and obesity (Diabetes and Obesity Program, 2016). Through the coalition building model and the transtheoretical model, they have different effects in outcomes on these conditions.

This qualitative study used interview techniques to better understand nutrition education within Head Start programs. Sadly, many of the kids in Headstart are overweight/obese; however, teachers have the opportunity to teach those students about nutrition and improve their present/future health. Barriers to such programs include lack of funding, training, and policies.

The obesity epidemic is at an all-time high as evidenced by the fact that there are more overweight and obese people than those of healthy weight in the U.S. today. Many political, medical and surgical interventions have proven to be largely unsuccessful. There has only been marginal success with government led nutritional initiatives such as First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign. The key to ending this obesity epidemic lies within health promotion. Nurses possess the essential skills and training developed from nursing practice to use health promotion and preventative health care to target at risk clients and communities before obesity develops. Through teaching, especially children what foods they should eat and the right portion size we can save the next generation from an obesity epidemic.

Childhood obesity has expanded tremendously within the past thirty years (CDC, 2015). It is not only a state, but also a nationwide issue. For many children, they depend on their school lunches to provide them the nutritious meals they cannot afford to have at home. As a community, we need to get our children into better shape. Not only will they become more astute, but they will also live healthier lifestyles, and have less health complications as they age. When you are overweight or obese, you are much more likely to develop health problems like heart disease, diabetes, or even a stroke. It is our responsibility as a community, state, and nation to offer nutritious meals and activities for our youth and future.

Nutrition and weight status is a vitally important issue as obesity is on the rise in the United States. One third of children in this country ages 2-19 are either overweight or obese and this potentially sets them up to develop diabetes and other comorbidities during their lifetime (U.S. Task Force, 2010). It is important to promote health by way of consumption of healthy foods, getting adequate exercise and maintaining a healthy body weight and body image. The Let’s Move initiative, founded by First Lady Michelle Obama, approaches the obesity epidemic at a grassroots level and encourages children to eat healthy, get active and take actions towards a healthy lifestyle ("Let’s Move," n.d.).

National Childhood Obesity month was designed to promote healthy living among kids with the expectations of preventing long lasting physical and emotional well-being issues among our youth. Upon learning of this event, I devoted myself to improve my own health. This dedication began with exercising a few times a week and tracking my caloric intake. The results I was seeing from