Childhood Obesity Reduction Health Promotion Plan

Upon reviewing the community vitality data I came to the conclusion that the health problem that a health education program would be most appropriate to address would be childhood nutritional health and fitness. I came to this conclusion after careful data analysis. Of the county’s adults (18+) 77% ate less than five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, this percentage is so high likely because of attitudes and habits these adults picked up when they were children. The second largest age demographic in the county is children aged 10 to 17 are overweight, six percent more than the state average, 88% of children age 10 to 17 are not meeting daily targets for fruit and vegetable consumption and 30% age 10 to 17 watch 3 or more hours of television per day, also six percent higher than the state average.

Children who eat less than healthy foods, which are often low in iron, vitamin content, and have a higher fat content, are placed at a higher risk for poor nutritional habits, iron deficiency anemia, and chronic illnesses such as diabetes, hypertension, etc. (USDHHS, 2000). Mass media and busy lifestyles also play an important role in the poor food choices of children today, and frequent television viewing prominently shows children foods, which contain large amounts of salt, sugar, and calories and a correlation between television viewing time frames and childhood obesity has been shown. (Proctor, 2003)

Another problem is that many school age children only prefer a small range of foods and dislike vegetables, fruits, and other healthy foods. A child’s nutritional pattern can also serve as a strong indicator of family patterns and show just how influential parents can be when it comes down to their children’s pr...

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