Adolescent Weight Management Program to Address Increasing Rate of Obesity among Students
Needs Assessment Assignment (FA21)
1. Think of a program that you want to develop. Choose a health-related program that will improve the health outcome of a specific population. Choose on which level of the public health pyramid your program exists. This pyramid is displayed on page 22 of your text. Try to choose a program that is included in one of the Healthy People 2020 priority areas. The table on page 26 of your text lists these priority areas. Describe this program in a comprehensive fashion describing the target population of your program in these terms; focusing on the level of the public health pyramid and the focus area selected. This can be done in one or two paragraphs.
2. Support the need for this program with a brief literature search. You need to have a minimum of 5 references to support your program. Your references may include programs similar to the one that you are designing. Make sure you use APA style to cite your references. This section should be a minimum of 1 page in length.
3. Using the model in the Community Tool Box found in your folder and at the website https://ctb(dot)ku(dot)edu/en/assessing-community-needs-and-resources complete the steps in chapter two of this toolbox for your program. Make these steps as specific as possible.
The following outlines the steps in this chapter:
INCLUDE THESE STEPS IN YOUR NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Describe the makeup and history of the community to provide a context within which to collect data on its current concerns. This means you have to choose a community in which to implement your program.
a. Comment on the types of information that best describes the community (e.g., demographic, historical, political, civic participation, key leaders, past concerns, geographic, assets).
b. Describe the sources of information used (e.g., public records, local people, internet, maps, phone book, library, newspaper).
c. Comment on whether there are sufficient resources (e.g., time, personnel, resources) available to collect this information about this community
d. Assess the quality of the information.
e. Describe the strengths and problems you may encounter with this community.
Describe what matters to people in the community. Do this with respect to your program. Include a description of:
a. Issues that people in the community care about (e.g., safety, education, housing, health)
b. How important these issues are to the community (e.g., perceived importance, consequences for the community)
c. Methods the group will (did) use to listen to the community (e.g., listening sessions, public forums, interviews, concerns surveys, focus groups).
Define the major stakeholders in the development of your program and anticipate what would matter most to them. Describe the following with respect to these stakeholders.
a. Who else cares about the issue (the stakeholders) and what do they care about?
b. What stakeholders want to know about the situation (e.g., who is affected, how many, what factors contribute to the problem)
c. Prioritized populations and subgroups that stakeholders intend to benefit from the effort
d. Methods you will (did) use to gather information (e.g., surveys, interviews).
Describe the evidence indicating whether the problem/goal of your proposed program should be a priority issue, including:
a. The community-level indicators (e.g., rate of infant deaths or vehicle crashes) related to the issue
b. How frequently the problem (or related behavior) occurs (e.g., number of youth reporting alcohol use in the past 30 days)
c. How many people are affected by the problem and the severity of its effects
d. How feasible it is to address the issue
e. Possible impact and/or consequences of addressing the problem/goal
Describe the barriers and resources for addressing the identified issue(s), including:
a. Barriers or resistance to solving the problem or achieving the goal (e.g., denial or discounting of the problem) and how they can be minimized (e.g., reframing the issue)
b. What resources and assets are available and how the group can tap into those resources to address the issue
c. Community context or situation that might make it easier or more difficult to address this issue
Select and state the priority issue (or issues) to be addressed by the group. This will translate into your final mission for your program.
You may do this in a table format if you prefer. This is the body of your assignment. List the steps in a concrete, specific manner with specific tasks assigned to each step. Try to outline a reasonable timeline for all of these steps. This section should be 3-4 pages in length.
4. Summarize the expected outcome of the needs assessment using the best information that you have about your health outcome and your population. You should use this summary to translate into your goals and objectives This can be a couple of paragraphs.
5. Spelling, grammar, punctuation – free from errors, writing flow, sentence structure, and content
The suggested length of this paper is 7-8 pages, with 1.5line spacing.
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Needs Assessment
During these times of technological advancements, there are already many changes that completely alter the way of life of human beings, making a lot of things easier and faster. As these trends continue, there is also a negative impact on the community’s health because a sedentary lifestyle has been common in the various age groups of citizens in the community, resulting in obesity. Many factors come into consideration when discussing lifestyle and wellness in relation to health, and one of the most vulnerable populations is the students/adolescents. They are the ones who are still developing their own health habits, usually in response to their environment. They are commonly exposed to factors such as junk food, lack of physical activities, increased use of gadgets, etc. In line with this, the health program that may be suitable for addressing the increasing rates of obesity among adolescents is a holistic weight management program.
The Adolescent Weight Management Program is for students aged 10 to 19 years old, in specific community schools, who would require a comprehensive evaluation and treatment for overweight and obesity. The program will focus on a holistic intervention that will be beneficial to the students’ health, with emphasis on the prevention and/or treatment of the complications associated with obesity, such as diabetes mellitus. In addition, the program aims to integrate healthy eating habits and physical activity into the lifestyle of these students, in addition to promoting awareness about their health status. The professionals who will be involved in providing direct healthcare services are social workers, psychologists, nutritionists, physical therapists, nurses, and doctors.
Literature Research
Overweight and obesity among adolescents are associated with early mortality rates in adulthood because of cancer and cardiometabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, etc., and its related complications (Sanyaolu et al., 2019; Weihrauch-Blüher et al., 2019). The effects of overweight and obesity decrease the quality of human life. At an early age, this promotes the same behaviors that the adolescent will adopt in the future, which requires early intervention and prevention for the individual to have better habits and overall health outcomes. The common advice for weight loss, especially for the overweight and obese population, is proper diet and exercise. However, these do not show high adherence and significant changes without the proper knowledge, guidance, and reinforcement. For adolescents suffering from excess fats and increased weight, interventions should be monitored and supported by the household and the school to promote healthy behavior and habits that can be feasible for long-term application.
Overweight and obesity are already considered public health issues concerning not only the children/adolescents but the society as a whole. Weight issues, specifically obesity, are usually carried out into adulthood which affects not only the physical image of an individual but also causes psychological and medical concerns. This can affect the students’ academic performance and self-esteem, which can also translate to difficulties in finding job opportunities and a romantic partner, among many other concerns in the future (Chu et al., 2019). In a larger perspective, this will mean that there will be higher healthcare costs in treating obesity for the countries’ healthcare system (Reinehr, 2018).
There are already studies and programs that are conducted that aims to target obesity, and however, according to a 2018 study, the adolescent age group has low adherence to treatment and interventions for overweight and obesity. In addition to this, it is also common that these individuals, including their caregivers or parents, do not seek medical attention for weight issues, resulting in minimal to no improvement in the health outcomes related to overweight and obesity (Reinehr, 2018). To address the issue with adherence to treatment, households and schools are both found to be influential to the health behaviors that adolescents are forming. These include topics about food and water, intake, sleep quality, stress levels, physical activity, etc. Schools that implement obesity prevention and management programs can still be improved by using evidence-based interventions that will promote weight loss and a healthy lifestyle while also addressing the social stigma that affects the image and self-esteem of the involved adolescents (Kenney et al., 2017).
According to research, the usual interventions such as behavioral modification, medical consultation, and counseling regarding nutrition and fitness can still be improved by incorporating an exercise intervention to promote weight loss. This is associated with better weight reduction, improved cardiometabolic risk markers, and increased strength and endurance (Seo et al., 2019). In line with these, other factors such as sleep, food choices, and water intake are other factors that need to be considered in creating a significant improvement in the weight loss and management of adolescents (Sanyaolu et al., 2019).
Makeup and History of the Population
The urban community is exposed to different health hazards that are very subtle and cannot be identified as a negative thing due to how it is already incorporated in the daily life of the citizens in the community. These are unhealthy items and behavior such as fast-food restaurants everywhere and the increased screen time using different gadgets for games and social media. The sources of information that help identify the needs of the community, specifically the schools in the urban community, are residents, employees, the internet, and medical records. The resources are sufficient to provide information about the health status and needs of the community.
Issues that the People in the Community Care About
The adults in the community are concerned about the increasing rates of obesity among school children aged 10 to 19 years, affecting the overall health of these children. This is an issue that the community sees as needing intervention from professionals because of the sedentary behavior that is very rampant in the adolescents of the community. There are consequences such as low energy levels, poor academic performance, and susceptibility to illnesses that adults find very alarming, as it affects the students’ quality of life. This information was gathered through personal interviews and surveys from the people in the community.
Major Stakeholders in the Development of the Program
1 Adolescent Students. The students are the program’s participants, and the students will benefit the most from the improved health outcomes that the program is promoting. Improved physical appearance and performance are the main concerns of these stakeholders. These responses were gathered through survey questionnaires.
2 Parents and Caregivers. The parents and caregivers are concerned about how the children’s health may be improved through the program. In addition, these stakeholders are important in reinforcing healthy habits and behaviors in the household. These responses were gathered through personal interviews with some of the representative parents and caregivers in the community.
3 School Administration. The school administration is in charge of the school policies, such as the food choices in the cafeteria and the physical education subject that the students are exposed to. Therefore, the school’s participation in the program will result in better performance of their students in academics and extracurricular activities as well. This response was gathered through an interview with the school administrator and management.
4 Medical and Allied Health Professionals. The doctors, nurses, physical therapists, nutritionists, psychologists, and social workers in the community aim to decrease the rates of obesity and to promote the awareness of adolescent students regarding their own health. This response was gathered through a group interview with the community’s medical and health allied health professiona...