Policies to Fight Obesity

Introduction

Good health is the right of every citizen. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure that every citizen is protected from practices, products and environments that can harm their health. One way the government does this is through policies and legislation. The duty of the state health department is to identify health problems, research about them, and propose measures and policies that can prevent, treat of manage the problem. This paper is based on the assumption that I work for the state health department, and I am tasked with a responsibility to propose policies, which will help deal with obesity. The choice of the health problem is based in the fact that is one of the biggest problems in the United States. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012) indicate that more than one-third, or 35.7%, of adults in the U.S. are obese.

Legal and Ethical Basis for Public Health and Health Services

The law can be a mysterious subject only understood by lawmakers. But, the state health department has an obligation to ensure that policies and laws set to regulate or improve the health sector can be understood by all stakeholders. Legally, federal law and regulations, recognize the state health department and its role in performing food inspections, running vaccination programs, researching and compiling statistics about public health issues, and propose policies and guidelines to deal with health challenges facing the country. Ethical policies are those that respect human rights, recognize the rights of business in the foods, medical and pharmaceutical industries, promote social enterprise, do not have negative ecological impact, and do not harm animal welfare, among other considerations.

Proposed Policies to Address Obesity

Obesity is a medical condition which affects both adults and children alike (Phillips, 2012). Therefore, it is important that the public understands its causes, effects, and possible means of prevention. The first proposed policy is to create public awareness about obesity. The new Early Care and Education policy advocates for education among care providers, teachers and parents to help fight child obesity. However, an even comprehensive policy would include mandatory classes for parents, teachers and other caregivers. This way, any person who is taking care of a child in one way or another would be required by law to attend a given number of classes about how to feed children, how to encourage an active life among them, and how to teach them about lifestyle and other obesity-related topics.

The second proposed policy would be to govern the kinds of foods sold or served in schools. The school health policy already provides a foundation for the school district procedures and practices concerning food programs, but it does not provide enough restrictions on what type of foods children should be fed in school. An even stringent measure should be put in place to make it illegal to feed children with fast foods. It should also be mandatory for schools to include lessons about obesity in their curriculum. In a research carried out recently, it was recorded that educating students on risks associated with obesity encouraged them to improve their lifestyles, but even better results came from creating an environment that promotes a healthy lifestyle (Khambalia et al., 2012). Therefore, schools should not be allowed to stock fast foods in their canteens, for example, and their lunch menus should only contain the right foods in the right proportions.

The third policy would address companies and institutions. It would require them to educate their employees about obesity, its effects and how to prevent it. Companies would also be required to introduce cholesterol-level tests in an employee’s medical cover, as well as offer it in their dispensaries. In addition, the policy would suggest that institutions install facilities that allow their employees an opportunity to work out. By building a gym, swimming pool, a tennis court, or any other sports facility within their facilities, companies will encourage employees to work out and adopt a healthier lifestyle. As a result, they would enjoy more productivity from healthier employees and cut on the amount of money they spend on health bills. Lhachimi et al. (2013) states that, encouraging exercising is one of the most effective ways to reduce obesity.

Ethical and Legal Considerations

The suggested policies meet the ethical considerations of policies because they respect human rights, do not interfere with the rights of business in the foods, medical and pharmaceutical industries, do not have negative ecological impact and do not harm animal welfare, among other considerations. When implementing these policies, the legal and ethical concerns would include where to draw the line between promoting a good lifestyle for children, students and employees, and respecting the rights of people to decide what to do in their homes, schools or companies. For example, parents have a right to decide what to learn and what not to. Companies also have a right to decide where to invest their money.

Conclusion

Policies govern the way a society addresses health concerns that face them. The government can work with families, communities and institutions to promote a lifestyle that promotes healthy eating, working out, and seeking medical attention for conditions that can put one at the risk of suffering from obesity. Policies that support education for people who are taking care of children, healthy school feeding programs and an active lifestyle at working places are just but some of them.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Adult obesity facts.Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

Khambalia, A. Z., Dickinson, S. S., Hardy, L. L., Gill, T. T., & Baur, L. A. (2012). A synthesis of existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses of school-based behavioural interventions for controlling and preventing obesity. Obesity Reviews, 13(3), 214-233.

Lhachimi, S. K., Nusselder, W. J., Lobstein, T. J., Smit, H. A., Baili, P. P., Bennett, K. K., & ... Mackenbach, J. P. (2013). Modelling obesity outcomes: reducing obesity risk in adulthood may have greater impact than reducing obesity prevalence in childhood. Obesity Reviews, 14(7), 523-531.

Phillips, F. (2012). Facing up to childhood obesity. Practice Nurse, 42(11), 14-17.