Obesity Health Concern From Frayser Community

The Frayser neighborhood, Mephis area, is at greater risk for mortality and morbidity caused by obesity, as demonstrated by ongoing increased rates of obesity, data indicating poor activity rates and low incomes, and the majority of patients had co-infections of high blood pressure and diabetes (Memphis & Shelby County, 2018). Obesity is a state in which an individual has acquired so much body fat that it is threatening their health. This is distinct from being overweight when the weight might be attributed to tissue, fat, bone, or bodily water (Ranasinghe et al., 2021). According to the study, the association between household income and the obesity rate has progressively increased since 1990, from essentially no correlation to a very significant association by 2016.

Obesity in America predominantly affects the poor. Since it costs money to buy fresh fruit and wholesome foods, “the more imperfect the home, the worse the alternatives are, both in terms of cost and what diet choices are currently accessible in the neighborhood. Only one in six adults and a little over five out of ten adults meet the CDC’s recommendations for 150 minutes of weekly cardiovascular exercise and five or more servings of vegetables and fruits daily, respectively. Over 93 million persons in the US—nearly 40%—were afflicted by obesity between 2015 and 2016, according to the CDC. Compared to 30 years ago, there has been a huge growth (Prasad, 2022). From roughly 11% in 1990 to almost 33% in 2016, the obesity rate in Mephis has so much more than tripled. Adult obesity’s parallel epidemic will not be tackled.

Causative Factor

Memphis’s high obesity rate is primarily caused by poor diet, insufficient exercise, and poverty. Without a doubt, America has among the highest obesity rates worldwide. Psychosocial factors that raise food intake and lower energy expenditure, as well as host factors that increase vulnerability, are linked to childhood obesity (Iguacel et al., 2021). However, the causes of poor diet and unhealthy lifestyles seem more to do with ethnicity. Inheritance and cultural background concerning eating and exercising are risk factors. Community variables, such as difficult-to-access bike and walking trails, are also risk factors because they encourage sedentary behavior, resulting in obesity, cardiovascular problems, and diabetes. Obese teenagers underestimate their food intake and likely eat more to maintain elevated weight levels. Family factors, such as parental obesity, household age and size, and socioeconomic position, are associated with obesity prevalence. Because it affects how much people eat and how active they are, watching television is substantially correlated with the incidence of obesity. Obesity and social level go hand in hand, particularly in the Frayser community. Diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease are all illnesses that are substantially more likely to develop if you are obese (Ng et al., 2021). For example, a person who is obese has a 3 times higher risk of having a heart problem than a healthy individual.

Evidence practice standards associated with the health Concern

The neighborhood of Frayser provides several primary preventative tools and methods to combat obesity. Residents will be assisted in starting their gardens by the local resource. It offers a toolkit with straightforward, step-by-step instructions for beginning your garden. Additionally offers youngsters engaging educational tools to create a garden. A nutritional program centered around a garden has been developed to encourage kids to eat more vegetables and fruits. The Partnership comprises residents who support the development of walkable communities and advocate for the promotion of walking. The Frayser community has many parks with hiking, biking, walking, and running routes. The neighborhood has several trails, the majority of which connect other areas. Numerous studies on evidence-based practice are related to preventing obesity.

By creating environments and procedures that encourage a healthy diet and an active lifestyle, the obesity pandemic can be stopped. Numerous governmental and regional initiatives support physical activity and a healthy diet. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a nationwide program to encourage an active lifestyle using social media sites, television, radio, newspapers, and movie trailers. Support and self-help groups, psychotherapy, potential risk screening, education delivered to schools, community projects, and health fairs are also included in this campaign (CDC, 2017). According to the CDC, early care and education techniques are among the greatest obesity prevention methods. There are plans to assist governments and localities with childcare and educational facilities to achieve suggested practice standards for combating obesity (CDC, 2017).

Significance Data of the Health Concern

There is a lot of information available about obesity on a national scale. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that in 2015–2016, or 93.3 million individuals, in the United States, 39.8% of adults were obese. Cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular accidents, some types of cancer, and type 2 diabetes are the main causes of unnecessary fatalities (Bracey, 2021). In 2008, there were 147 billion dollars spent on obesity-related medical expenses in the United States, with the cost of care for obese individuals being 1,429 dollars greater than for an individual of healthy body weight (CDC, 2017).

Social Media Campaign Objective

Considering parents place a significant priority on their child’s welfare, the campaign will be created in a way that would grab both parents’ and kids’ attention. The frequency of childhood obesity has increased by more than 10% over the previous forty years, and rates in the US are disturbingly high. Children from low-income homes are in particularly great danger. According to the statistics, 16.9% of children and teens in the US were obese in 2011–2012 (Rao et al., 2020). Compared to other ethnic groups, children of African American and Hispanic descent are obese. The two main contributing factors to obesity in children are poor eating choices and insufficient exercise. As a result, the campaign will encourage the target population to make dietary changes and engage in more physical activity.

The suggested social media campaign aims to increase target demographic awareness of healthier food options. However, the focus will not be on suggestions made by well-known people or on websites. The project aims to provide advice certified by a dietician specifically for the chosen target audience. The program will also have a certified fitness instructor. Children who are obese and range in age from 3 – 17 comprise this category. Low income and racial or cultural affiliation with African Americans or Hispanics are other characteristics that define the target market. Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook were employed as social media channels to connect with my target demographics for age and race. I learned that school-aged children primarily use the social media app Snapchat when I speak with locals. Despite still having a huge adult user base, I also learned that Facebook no longer appeals to the younger generation. Thus, Facebook would be the social media channel to reach young adults. Regarding ethnic inequalities, social media apps like Facebook and Snapchat seem to have similar user bases.

Social Marketing Interventions

Healthcare professionals and academics have advised a range of strategies to lower the risk of obesity. Dietary therapies are very well-liked among them. It is also mentioned that kids’ eating attitudes can change due to playing healthier video games. It seems appropriate to integrate these two elements and develop a diet-focused intervention based on social marketing technologies after considering the results of earlier studies. The recent campaign will include two population-focused social marketing interventions: a video game program for kids ages 3 -12 and a puzzle game for kids ages 13 – 17.

Rationale

The selection of these interventions was influenced by the desires and preferences of the kids. To begin with, engaging in a game is much more entertaining than attending a lecture (even a video one). Inviting children to play games also makes it simple to involve them in a serious activity without emphasizing its importance. So, through fun games, the players will learn about good eating practices. Since smaller children like playing at this age, video games are provided for them. A puzzle game is recommended for contestants in the senior age range. It is both interesting and educational. The main goal of the interventions is to get the target audience involved in eating nutritious foods. It is believed that children would impact their parents’ shopping preferences.

Additionally, the advantages of using social media to promote preventative healthcare include the enormous audience that can be reached in a short length of time. In a matter of seconds, one message can get hundreds of recipients. Another advantage is choosing social media channels that appeal to the target audience. Social media is popular among teenagers and young adults; therefore, spreading the message on this platform will be more effective. I could make my message more visible by determining which platform the intended audience uses the most.

My health communication will help the target audience by teaching them how to avoid obesity early. They will also discover the dangers of obesity on their health. The program will offer age-specific activities to encourage healthy lifestyle choices. Additionally, they will learn about the community resources in our area that they might use if they have inquiries about obesity or require help with diet or exercise regimens. To guarantee that the message is comprehended by all the at-risk individuals for whom it is intended, it is important to provide teaching programs in multiple languages. To ensure that any questions could be handled, I would also ensure that the message was distributed through a multilingual interpreter. When deploying a social media tool for health marketing, you need an engaging and personable tone. Utilizing action verbs in the post will make the social media platform more action-oriented, motivating users to take action. The target audience will be more interested and less likely to lose interest if the message is brief and competent.

Social Media Platforms

Social media sites like Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter will be leveraged to reach the target demographic. The campaign’s coordinator wants to connect with both the parents of the younger group of children and the older group of kids by using these websites. Twitter, Snapchat, and Facebook are two of the most well-known social media platforms (Oh & Syn, 2015). Social networking networks offer a wealth of possibilities for information sharing, inviting individuals to a page, and getting feedback. The ability to involve many users in the campaign justifies the choice of Facebook, Snap Chat, and Twitter. Even if an individual is not a target audience member, they can still distribute the information to inform parents of obese children and other interested parties about the program.

Stakeholder Roles and Responsibilities

The project’s coordinator (the community health nurse), children, parents, nutritionist, exercise teacher, and IT specialist are among the campaign’s key stakeholders; each has specific responsibilities and duties. Writing a strategy that will aid in lowering obesity rates in the target population group is one of the duties and responsibilities of the nutritionist and the fitness trainer. Additionally, these experts will develop the trivia game for the senior age group. An IT specialist must create a video game using the healthcare experts’ strategy as a guide. Additionally, this expert will set up Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts for the campaign’s marketing. The parents will be responsible for getting their kids involved in the initiatives. Children’s participation in the program will include engaging in games and attempting to change their eating and exercise habits. The campaign’s coordinator will be in charge of organizing the initiative and overseeing every activity.

Potential Partnerships

Partnering with organizations with similar objectives is essential to promoting the campaign’s implementation. The Health Department of Mephis may become associated with the general public. Private collaboration may be organized with Children’s Hospital, the primary children’s hospital in Mephis. This company could support the campaign by informing its clients about it. Additionally, the hospital has Twitter, Snapchat, and Facebook pages, making it feasible to advertise the campaign there. Therefore, local businesses who might assist by endorsing the movement and supporting it by allowing educational brochures to be posted at their establishments would be potential public and private partnerships that could be developed to aid in implementing my campaign. The neighborhood adolescent center is another possible community partner. As many children spend time there after school and over the summer, involving the teen center would be advantageous. Kids might enjoy nutritious snacks while at the center and could get more information if necessary if the teen center supported and promoted obesity prevention.

Implementation Timeline

Due to the vast number of people, it is intended to reach, the social media campaign to prevent obesity would take a long time to plan and execute. I would choose a 10-week target period for this campaign. The timeline of the campaign is reflected in the table below.

How to Evaluate Effectiveness

The campaign’s effectiveness will be evaluated by contrasting the children’s BMI, heart rate, and level of physical activity before and after the intervention. At the start and completion of the project, parents and children’s awareness will also be assessed and examined. The campaign will be successful if key stakeholders are better informed and the BMI and other vital indications rise. Monitoring the campaign’s positive and negative reactions will help us gauge its success and enable us to address any comments or inquiries quickly. By observing and recording the replies from the intended audience, the stakeholder would be engaged in the evaluation.

Measurable Tools

The following instruments will be used to gauge the campaign’s success:

• The adoption of the campaign’s suggested behaviors.
• A quality-of-life questionnaire was administered both before and after the program.
• The heart rate and BMI readings were taken before and after the project.
• The children’s physical prowess and activity levels before and after the campaign.

Cost of Implementation

The costs will change when the campaign is initiated because they are estimates. It is anticipated that stakeholders will be prepared to carry out some tasks by volunteering, which will allow for some financial savings. Additionally, charitable monies are expected to aid in its promotion if the initiative succeeds. The table below shows the campaign’s implementation costs.

Reflection on Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is one of the best strategies for encouraging people to lead healthier lives. The assistance of such marketing is important to the latest project. The community health nurse will be able to spread information about the campaign and its main objectives via Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter. Additionally, social media marketing will encourage participant interaction and permit feedback sharing.

Reflection on Future Nursing Practice

The planned social media campaign will benefit nursing practice in the future. The initiative will support the growth of managerial and other professional competencies. The effort will also help to improve research abilities. Nursing skills will be developed by comparing the participants’ vital signs before and after the program. Ultimately, the campaign will have a very favorable effect on nursing practices in the future.

References

Bracey, V. (2021). Bariatric Surgery and Obesity: The Ejection Fraction Story Both Pre-and Post-Operation.

CDC. (2022, July 15). New adult obesity maps. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/prevalence-maps.html

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Strategies to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic

Diseases. (2017, July 14). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/downloads/PA_2011_WEB.pdf

Iguacel, I., Gasch-Gallen, A., Ayala-Marin, A. M., Miguel-Etayo, D., & Moreno, L. A. (2021). Social vulnerabilities as a risk factor of childhood obesity development and their role in prevention programs. International journal of obesity, 45(1), 1-11.

Memphis & Shelby county. (2018, October 19). Health brief: Memphis & Shelby County. Better Tennessee. https://bettertennessee.com/memphis-shelby-county-health-brief/

Ng, A. C., Delgado, V., Borlaug, B. A., & Bax, J. J. (2021). Diabesity: the combined burden of obesity and diabetes on heart disease and the role of imaging. Nature Reviews Cardiology, 18(4), 291-304.

Prasad, M. K. (2022). New trends approach for management of obesity. Syst. Rev. Pharm, 13, 141-147

Ranasinghe, P., Jayawardena, R., Gamage, N., Pujitha Wickramasinghe, V., & Hills, A. P. (2021). The range of non-traditional anthropometric parameters to define obesity and obesity-related disease in children: a systematic review. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 75(2), 373–384.

Rao, W. W., Zong, Q. Q., Zhang, J. W., An, F. R., Jackson, T., Ungvari, G. S., … & Xiang, Y. T. (2020). Obesity increases the risk of depression in children and adolescents: Results from a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of affective disorders, 267, 78–85.