Health Education Program on Obesity in Baltimore, Maryland
Health Education Program on Obesity in Baltimore, Maryland
Objectives:
- Enlightening participants about the causes of obesity.
- Participants will understand the different implications of obesity on individual’s health.
- Participants will understand various ways of preventing obesity.
- Participants will understand the benefits of regular exercises in fighting obesity.
- Participants will learn how to choose and make healthy food to stay healthy.
Participants will understand where they can seek help if they are suffering from obesity
Focus Area
This program focuses on the alleviation of obesity in Baltimore, Maryland. In this city, obesity is among the most critical health challenges. Among adults in the State of Maryland, the prevalence rate of obesity stands at 28%.This is among the highest prevalence rates for obesity across the entire United States. In addition to adults, obesity is also prevalent among adolescents and children in Baltimore. Consequently, it is extremely essential to establish a health education program that addresses the various obesity challenges in Baltimore.
Through this program, participants will acquire useful information pertaining to the causes of obesity. The lack of adequate information is among the most notable causes of high prevalence of obesity in Baltimore. This program will equip such people with adequate information on how to deal with obesity. It is also pertinent to equip the participants with sufficient information about the implications of obesity on individual’s health (Jeffries, 2011).
The health education program also seeks to indentify the various factors that are behind the high prevalence rates of obesity in Baltimore. This is an essential perspective with regard to the enhancement of evidence based practice (Brewis, 2010). The evidence based practice initiative is vital towards developing an effective framework for preventing the escalation of this health care challenge among the residents of Baltimore. The high prevalence rate of this health problem among adults was the rationale behind the choice of this health education program. If this program is successful, it will serve as a platform for addressing such challenges in other areas.
Significance
This health education program has numerous benefits to the Baltimore community. Firstly, it will be a useful platform for streamlining the quality of health care within the target population. Through this education program, participants will appreciate the importance of early diagnosis for obesity. Early diagnosis helps in developing an effective treatment framework (Finkelstein, 2010). The program will also help in enhancing health standards through the encouragement of regular fitness regimes.
When people exercise regularly, it is possible to minimize the risk of obesity. Obesity is among the most outstanding risk factors for chronic illnesses such as diabetes. Consequently, addressing the problem of obesity will be helpful in alleviating such chronic illnesses within the population. In essence, this health education program will be extremely helpful in promoting healthy lifestyles in the community. This serves as an essential platform for streamlining productivity in the population. It is difficult for people to attain economic productivity when they do not lead healthy lifestyles (Mitchell, 2011). This presents the health education program as an essential initiative for enhancing economic productivity in Baltimore.
The health education program is also a crucial initiative for streamlining health care systems in Baltimore. This mostly pertains to the policies developed by health care institutions in this community. Through this program, such institutions will have an excellent framework from which they can establish effective health care policies for the population (Kazaks, 2012). Additionally, this initiative will promote collaboration between practitioners and the public in the target community. Such collaborations are vital is enhancing the standards of health care in the population. All these perspectives indicate that the program will have extensive significance to the population.
Topics and Activities
There are various activities that will help in enhancing overall health and wellness of the target community. Firstly, the health program will encompass education programs on obesity. Such education initiatives are vital in sensitizing the participants about the most pertinent perspectives with regard to avoiding obesity. Most people in this community lack sufficient information pertaining to the negative implications of obesity on an individual’s health (Lewis, 2010). However, this will change through the health education initiatives.
Another critical aspect of consideration with regard to the education program pertains to diet issues. Most people in this community might not be aware of the various diet alternatives available for preventing obesity. The dietary habits of an individual can increase the risk of being obese. For instance, it is fundamentally essential for individuals to avoid fatty foods. These have high calorie content and can easily lead to obese. The health education initiative will also encompass different activities that are helpful in preventing obesity. For instance, participants will be encouraged to take part in regular exercises. Such activities are vital in terms of consuming fats and thus alleviate the incidence of obesity.
The increased use of contraceptive pills elevates the risk of contracting obesity. Consequently, the health education program will seek to encourage participants to use other forms of contraceptives like condoms (Mitchell, 2010). These have a minimal risk for causing obesity. The health education program will also be useful in terms of helping participants understand the positive implications of maintaining a healthy body mass index. In essence, BMI serves as the main indicator of whether an individual is obese or not. Although most people are familiar with BMI, they are not aware of its significance to an individual’s health. The health education initiative in Baltimore will be helpful in addressing this challenge.
Improving Health of the Target Community
In order to improve the health standards of the target community, it is fundamentally essential to work closely with the local health care institutions. For instance, the local hospitals should take part in community sensitization programs. Such programs are vital in equipping the community with adequate information about the avoidance and management of obesity. The local health care institutions have adequate resources and facilities that would be useful in the education initiative (Segrave, 2008). In addition to the health care institutions, it is also crucial to work with policymakers in order to push for a new policy that addresses the problem of obesity in the community. Through the new policy, it will be possible to acquire funds from the federal and state agencies (Lewis, 2010).
AAHP Strategic Plan
Tackling the high prevalence rates of diabetes among African Americans is among the most notable perspectives in the AAHP strategic plan. The risk of this chronic disease is significantly higher compared to other races in the population (Jeffries, 2011). This necessitates the establishment of a comprehensive program that addresses the challenge of diabetes among African Americans. The health education program for obesity in Baltimore represents a significant step towards the AAHP’s goals for diabetes. By tackling the problem of obesity in Baltimore, the program will help in reducing the incidence of diabetes among African Americans.
References
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