Introduction
During the last several years the United States faced a new health issue that was not so critical before. Childhood obesity turned out to be a crucial problem, as the number of persons who suffer from it has quadrupled over the last thirty years (Dawes, 2014). With the development of technologies and the creation of unhealthy products, children started to prefer inactive lifestyles and eat junk food, which leads to weight gaining.
Childhood obesity is not crucial only because it presupposes a particular physical condition of the child but also because it increases health risks. Such individuals are likely to have cardiovascular problems and type-2 diabetes, which is deathful, but the population fails to realize all risks (Poskitt & Edmunds, 2008).
The solution to the Problem
In order to solve the problem of childhood obesity, the government should focus on the promotion of healthy eating habits and exercise. Of course, a wide variety of interventions meant to cope with this issue already exist today, but this one is likely to bring more advantages and streamline this process. As a rule, the interventions were connected with schools, hospitals, and communities. They were rather successful but have sputtered out (Bagchi, 2010). A new approach will be more stressful in a positive way as the government is already involved in the issue but it rather passive and not influential enough. When ordinary things do not help, something more substantial and unique is needed to enhance the well-being of the population.
The government of the United States should develop effective intervention strategies, considering both physical activity and nutrition. It is critical to refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to find out how critical the issue is and to utilize evidence-based programs. Then the government should implement policies that will guide the general public and lead them to a healthy way of life. The health policies should involve “transportation, land use, education, agriculture, and economics so that it can have an important impact on healthy environment and health of people, in turn, reducing obesity” (Karnik & Kanekar, 2012, p. 6). The government should cooperate with health organizations and improve access to healthy and fresh products. It should build a walk and bike paths, and playgrounds. For example, the First Lady initiated a program “Let’s move” with the same purpose. As a result, children were encouraged to take part in various activities and received more opportunities to spend time outdoors in an active way, which prevented obesity and reduced obesity rates.
Benefits of the Chosen Solution
The government’s focus on the promotion of healthy eating habits and exercise is beneficial because it allows dealing with several issues at the same time. New walk and bike paths, as well as playgrounds, will influence the quality of life of children and adults (Parizkova & Hills, 2005). They will make the county more attractive to tourists and will make people use electricity and cars less. Thus, resources will be saved and environmental pollution prevented. Moreover, such interventions can be used for decades, unlike medications that require constant funding. It will also improve access to healthcare, which is currently discussed as a part of health insurance programs but needs constant revisions.
The government will need financial resources to sponsor the creation of paths, playgrounds, and insurance programs. Still, there will be no necessity to hire new human resources as such professionals already operate and just need to undertake new duties and cooperate.
Conclusion
The world will not change on its own. Our children determine our future, and we cannot leave them to fate. If childhood obesity is not reduced, the well-being of the whole population will be affected. Be proactive and do not let the United States become a country of disabled.
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References
Bagchi, D. (2010). Global Perspectives on Childhood Obesity: Current status, Consequences and Prevention. New York, NY: Academic Press.
Dawes, L. (2014). Childhood Obesity in America: Biography of an Epidemic. New York, NY: Harvard University Press.
Karnik, S., & Kanekar, A. (2012). Childhood Obesity: A Global Public Health Crisis. International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 3(1), 1-7.
Parizkova, J., & Hills, A. (2005). Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment. New York, NY: CRC Press.
Poskitt, E., & Edmunds, L. (2008). Management of Childhood Obesity. New York, NY: Cambridge.