My current
problem definition is "The rise in obesity among 12 to 18 year olds in the
United States over the past 15 years. This week’s blog assignment deals with
stakeholders. Stakeholders are persons, organizations or other groups who share
a stake in the issue, that is to say those who might be affected by the problem
and/or its solution.
For my
problem, some stakeholders could be children with obesity, fast food companies,
pediatricians, parents of children with obesity, health food companies,
hospitals and the FDA to throw a few out there. Some stakeholders would be
affected more directly by my problem than others, but they are nevertheless
considered a possible stakeholder.
When
thinking about interventions, one possible intervention could be to inform the
public about proper nutrition and good, healthy diets. With posters or speakers
around schools or communities that typically have high levels of obesity among
the children. This intervention could be tough because although the information
would be provided, it would be the responsibility of the actual children with
obesity to utilize the information for effectiveness. Another intervention
would be to start the intervention earlier in a child’s life to make it more
effective. Programs for infants or toddlers could be set up and utilized early
on that would help prevent obesity before it even began.
I think you have a really solid issue to focus on, I only wonder about whether the intervention you chose would be effective. I think what could be more effective is something like governmental limitations on soda size, such as those that have been implemented in New York City. Although individuals could potentially purchase more soda, they aren't likely to due to cost, and it makes purchasing more amounts of soda more difficult. Soda has a huge amount of empty calories, and definitely contributes to the problem of obesity. By limiting the amount that could easily be bought, you are partly taking your reliance on the individual out of the problem. Just a thought, but I like your topic a lot.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post! As I pointed out in a few of your colleagues posts once you decide on an intervention, I would encourage you to think broadly about those that are affected, those that will actively support you and finally those that may be opposed to your intervention. Per the lab, it is sometimes helpful to think about the people involved in the program operations, who is affected by the program and who is interested in whether the intervention succeeds (or fails). When you decide on an intervention, part of this exercise will be to truly investigate implementation - often the hardest part of any public health initiative.
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