This is the most pressing healthcare problem facing our community. It is estimated that 60% of people are overweight, and children and those with low income are at greatest risk. The CDC (2018) estimates that two-thirds are overweight or obese. Community education programs that emphasize the importance of healthy eating habits and regular exercise are a smart way to reduce the risk of becoming obese. As long as the population doesn’t engage, young people, including adolescents and children, will be at greater risk for hypertension and diabetes. Because the majority of those at risk have taken sedentary lives, thanks to the availability of social media and the internet, obesity also reduces productivity.
To reduce obesity rates in my community, advocacy and promotion would be the best skill that I could use (NCHEC 2022). Most people are susceptible to obesity due to poor diets and living sedentary lives. Advocates will engage with community leaders, care providers and residents to communicate the importance and benefits of healthy eating, exercising regularly, and consuming two less meals each day. Second, influence health promotion policy. To ensure adequate regulation of the food industry, this would require collaboration with legislators. Most people are at risk of becoming obese because food manufacturers create foods high in fat and calories and then mislabel them so that customers make purchasing decisions. Additionally, policy advocacy would be used to convince politicians to ban children’s commercials that lure kids into buying harmful products. Collaboration with community and school groups is another way that you can promote the profession of health education. To inform people about the importance of being health educators in order to create a society without obesity, I also designed posters and brochures.