Connecting assets and choosing your community

Connecting Community Assets to Fight Childhood Obesity in Delray Beach Affiliation Connecting Community Assets to Fight Childhood Obesity in Delray Beach
Delray Beach is a coastal city in the state of Florida. Like many other cities in the United States, Delray Beach also faces the challenge of childhood obesity. Given the deleterious health effects of childhood obesity, it is important to connect community assets to foster prevention initiatives. The identified assets within the Delray Beach community include open spaces and play areas, holistic and sustainable food policies, healthcare expertise, diagnostic tools and conference facilities.
All the identified assets would best meet the requirements of the nursing plan, which focuses on preventing childhood obesity in the community. Firstly, research findings indicate that sedentary lifestyles predispose children to obesity (Ogden et al., 2014). As such, open spaces and play areas are critical to increasing physical activity. Secondly, effective obesity prevention initiatives require a multidisciplinary approach by various healthcare professions (Saxe, 2011). Therefore, healthcare expertise will bring together physicians, psychologists, dieticians and other support staff.
Thirdly, high-calorie foods contribute largely to the risks of childhood obesity. High-calorie foods are more appealing to low-income houses because they are less expensive (Ogden et al., 2014). Consequently, holistic and sustainable food policies will increase access to both affordable and healthy foods. In the same vein, the policies will also increase opportunities for physical activity. For example, the city planning department can formulate policies that will require residential developers to provide playgrounds and gym facilities.
Fourthly, childhood obesity predisposes children to the risk of chronic diseases, which include Type 2 diabetes and blood pressure (Ogden et al., 2014). Diagnostic tools for blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes will ensure early diagnosis and management. Furthermore, Body Mass Index (BMI) charts will be necessary to identify the risk level among children. Finally, health education is a critical nursing intervention in the sense that it gives individuals greater control over their health and well-being (Saxe, 2011). Conference facilities are thus required to educate parents and family members about healthy lifestyles.
One partner does not own the identified assets. Accordingly, the nursing plan will incorporate assets from different partners. Potential partners will include the mayor of the city, health providers within the community, community-based organizations, religious leaders, and parents. All theses partners are best suited to meet the needs of the nursing plan. Each partner will provide specific resources to support the nursing plan. Pooling resources from all the partners will enhance the realization of positive outcomes.
School administrators and teachers will support the plan by promoting healthy lunches and physical activity. Furthermore, community-based organizations and religious leaders will mobilize community members and provide conference facilities. In addition, the mayor will mobilize civic leaders to oversee the formulation and implementation of appropriate policies. On the other hand, community health providers will avail the required expertise and diagnostic tools. Lastly, parents will support the prevention plan by promoting healthy eating habits and physical activity among their respective children.
The contacted partners acknowledged that childhood obesity is indeed a major issue in the community. Furthermore, they intimated that the nursing plan is a step to the right direction because the fight against obesity will require civic engagement from every partner in the community. The City of Delray Beach is already implementing programs to promote healthy lifestyles among children in response to the First Lady’s Let’s Move Campaign. The campaign challenges towns, counties and cities across the country to make healthy foods accessible and affordable. School boards, health providers, parents and community organizations have also responded to childhood obesity positively.
References
Saxe, J. S. (2011). Promoting healthy lifestyles and decreasing childhood obesity: Increasing physician effectiveness through advocacy. Annals of Family Medicine, 10(9), 546-548.
Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B. K., & Flegal, K. M. (2014). Prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States, 2011-2012. Journal of American Medical Association, 311(8), 806-814.