Decreasing Childhood Obesity

Group Name: 
PTPH
Alison O'Neill
Full Time Student, The Evergreen State College
n/a
n/a
Problem: 

Obesity in general is often a result of a sedentary lifestyle, lack of adequate and consistent physical exercise, and frequent and heavy consumption of rich and fatty foods. Also, the onset of increased implementation of technology into our daily lives to make duties and responsibilities easier and faster is to blame for increased weight gain as people are consumed with technology and less apt to engage in much physical activity.

Context: 

Over the years, there has been a noticeable increase in childhood obesity in the United States. Also, however, we are now becoming aware that obesity is an issue in foreign countries that had previously suffered from malnutrition due to lack of food intake. This surprising discovery is currently noticed in Mexico, as this country has implemented a substantial amount of technology into society that has led to increased obesity.

Discussion: 

Possible ways to decrease childhood as well as adult obesity is to implement high quality early childhood education programs that focus on providing health education. The health education programs would focus on educating children about the benefits of eating healthy foods such as organic foods and non-genetically modified foods. Also, it would be very important to stress the importance of maintaining consistent physical exercise. Also, elementary schools could provide mandatory workshops designed specifically for parents to implement healthy eating practices into their households and to understand the benefits they and their children will receive from improving their diet and exercise habits.

Solution: 

The goal of this pattern is to decrease child obesity (and adult obesity) through school implemented "healthy eating and healthy living" programs targeted for kids and their parents.

Verbiage for pattern card: 

A healthy diet that nourishes a child's body and mind is vital to contributing to their overall happiness and well-being. Adequate exercise is also vital to a child's mental and physical health. A child who lacks these two elements will experience difficulty in reaching their highest potential as their mental and physical health is not as good as it could be. Society has a responsibility to continue to support and encourage children to understand the importance of a healthy diet and sustaining a substantial exercise routine throughout their lives.