Assignment: Public Health Prevention Programs

Childhood obesity is becoming a global epidemic. Generally, obesity has been considered a health problem of developed countries, especially in the United States. Now, there are more overweight and obese people in low- and middle-income countries, and this phenomenon is not limited to adults. In 2010, it was estimated that approximately 42 million children under the age of 5 were obese or overweight, and almost 35 million of those children lived in developing countries (World Health Organization, 2010). Measuring the numbers for children ages 5 through 14 globally is challenging, because there is not a standard definition for childhood obesity. While there are some variations, there are higher percentages of older children and adolescents being overweight or obese in developing countries (Kimani-Murage, 2011; Editorial, 2008).

One of the primary ways to reduce obesity in children and adolescents is through prevention, as opposed to relying only on treating the symptoms and effects of the problem. Developing public health programs to educate and promote healthy lifestyles to children and adolescents is one responsibility of health psychology professionals.

For this Application Assignment, select a population for which to develop a public health program to promote good nutrition and family-based exercise programs. Your population could be as small as your local neighborhood or as large as a global initiative (Association of Schools of Public Health, n.d.). A public health program aimed at childhood obesity prevention should be culturally appropriate and geared toward the developmental understanding of the targeted ages, which may ultimately require multiple approaches. When developing your public health program, you should consider the availability of resources and access to locations. For example, family-based treatment programs have shown significant decreases in obesity rates in children and adolescents. You may want to include the proven approach of family support for exercise as an element of your public health program (Epstein, Valoski, Rena, & McCurley, 1994). While exercise may be an appropriate example within your public health program, you may not want to include swimming, because of cultural or religious beliefs.

This Application Assignment may be used as the foundation for your comprehensive program, which is due in Week 10. Please review the Week 10 Assignment for details. Submit your media file to the Week 8 Assignment submission area using the Kaltura Media option available via the mashup tool. More information about adding media to the classroom is located on the Kaltura Media Uploader page in the course navigation menu.

Caveat: Each person participating in the public service announcement must read and sign the Video/Voice Release Agreement. Find this form on the Kaltura Media Uploader page located in the course navigation menu of your online course. Submit the signed form(s) to your Instructor in the Week 8 Assignment Submission link.

Your local health department hires you as a consultant to develop a health promotion campaign for your community. Your campaign must include advertising appropriate for your community and targeted health programming.

The Assignment (2–3 pages and the 30-second public service announcement for a community health promotion campaign)

• Write a 30-second public service announcement (PSA) for your community to promote good nutrition and family-based exercise programs.
• Record your PSA and submit it to the Week 8 Assignment submission area using the Kaltura Media option available via the mashup tool. More information is located on the Kaltura Media Uploader page in the course navigation menu.
• Create a 2- to 3-page narrative describing your health promotion campaign.
• Include in your descriptive narrative recent trends in poor diet and exercise and how your program can reduce these trends. The trends may vary based on your selected community (e.g., local or general). Be sure to support your trends with the current literature.
• Use appropriate APA references at the bottom of your narrative.

Submit your assignment by Day 7. Submit a Video/Voice Release Agreement to the Assignment Submission link for each person who participates in your video.

Support your assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are to provide a reference list for all resources, including those in the Learning Resources for this course.