Developing an Advocacy Campaign for Childhood Obesity

Introduction

In the management of childhood obesity, policy supporting advocacy campaigns like the PRONAF protocol and Community-Based Nutrition and Physical Activity Intervention for Children and their Caregivers can be enacted through the modification of the existing regulations. In the United States, regulations such as Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 and the National Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans is among the legislations and guidelines that can be modified to manage childhood obesity through promoting healthy nutrition and adequate age related activity (National Conference of States Legislatures, 2014). In improving the health of children, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 can be modified to ensure that schools, food outlets, caregivers and parents provide the right nutrition to children to prevent obesity. On the other hand, the National Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans can be modified to prevent or manage childhood obesity through stipulating guidelines that stipulate the right exercises and duration that are age-appropriate for children.

Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 that supports healthy nutrition for children at school or in the community through the provision of nutritional resources is designed by the department of nutrition to promote the health of children (National Conference of States Legislatures, 2014). The National Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans is designed to ensure that individual have the right amount of exercise to promote health and wellbeing of individuals (National Conference of States Legislatures, 2014). These legislations will affect the advocacy efforts towards the management of childhood obesity through contributing in the development of obesity-related taskforce, programs and working groups in the society. In realizing the success of an advocacy programs, taskforce and working groups that consist of practitioners and legislatures are used in the society to create the desired outcome due to change efforts (Willy & Rapley, 2013). The advocacy efforts towards the management of childhood obesity are important in the management of morbidity and mortality that is associated with obesity in the society.

To ensure support of the policy, the methods that can be used to influence legislators and other policymakers include lobbying that will exploit the legislative advocacy tools, media and grassroots mobilization. Legislative advocacy is based on the involvement of federal, state, city or county legislature that are involved in the development of laws, policies and regulations through committees that are set up and organized to accomplish set objectives (Winterfeld, 2014). The legislative advocacy is important in the modification or development of new policies and guideline in relation to nutrition and physical activities to prevent childhood obesity. The media involves the methods used to create awareness or spread information regarding the new policies or modification that are designed to manage childhood obesity. Furthermore, grassroots mobilization is used in promoting the practice of the modified practice regulation in the community that is, among parents and caregivers. The involvement of the community is important in understanding barriers as well as the successes of the advocacy program.

Conclusion

In the advocacy process, among the challenges that can be experienced include lack of adequate resources and personnel to effectively create awareness of childhood obesity in the community. Another challenge includes lack of understanding of childhood obesity issues among individuals as well as legislatures in the community. In ensuring success of the project, these challenges can be addressed through seeking partnerships and collaborations in the community so that resources are pooled together and awareness is effectively created to attain the objectives of the advocacy.