Health Issue
Obesity in teenagers is becoming an increasingly significant issue in America today. According to the CDC (par 1), the incidence of obese and overweight adolescents increased from 5% in 1980 to 21% in 2012. Today, more than a third of American children and teenagers are either overweight or obese (CDC par 1). A survey carried out in 2013 by the CDC showed that 16 percent of high school children in Texas were overweight (CDC par 1). Unlike other health issues that children outgrow, obesity in childhood and adolescent years is likely to persist even in adulthood. Obesity results from a caloric imbalance where the body utilizes only a few of the calories that are taken.
There are two classes of adverse health effects of obesity in young people i.e. short-term and long-term consequences. Immediate effects include an increased risk of cardiovascular problems e.g. hypertension and hyperlipidemia, a high likelihood of diabetes, bone, and joint disorders, sleep apnea as well as psychological and social issues (stigma and diminished self-esteem). Adulthood medical disorders such as heart disease, cancers (breast, colon, thyroid, cervical, kidney, etc.), diabetes, osteoarthritis, and stroke are some of the long-term effects of obesity in teenagers.
The Intervention
Adopting healthy habits like increased physical activity have positive effects in combating obesity in youths. Many sectors of the society influence the physical activity of children and adolescents. These areas include schools, religious institutions, government agencies, families, health professionals, communities, as well as the media and entertainment industry. The school is an ideal environment for youth to learn and adopt healthy exercise habits. As a school nurse, I have a responsibility to identify health issues such as obesity and work together with students, parents, teachers, and the school administration to promote healthy weight in teenagers. It is also my duty to educate and advocate for adjustments in school policies to promote healthy lifestyle changes. A school nurse has the capacity to help students to enhance their health and well-being by maintaining healthy weights.
The physical activity program at Westlake High School needs to be revised so as to maximize the benefits of exercise in enhancing good health. There is a need to adopt a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) with an aim of utilizing every opportunity for students to engage in physical exercise. The CSPAP will seek to meet the standard 60 minutes of activity as well as increase awareness of the benefits of physical activity. This initiative will require the collaboration of the school nurse, school staff, and the community to provide the students with multi-faceted physical activities and health education. The initiative will offer interventions ranging from a higher frequency and increased intensity of PE sessions to short periods of classroom exercises and movements slotted in between academic lessons. The school nurse will train physical education coordinators. The training will equip them to offer short health education sessions. The health tips can be given before or after the physical training sessions.
Research findings have associated healthy weights and positive health outcomes with increased physical exercise in teenagers. According to Ekelund et al. (710), moderate –vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) in youths results in a healthy cardio-metabolic profile. Teenagers who are physically active have a smaller waist circumference (Ekelund et al. 708). Regular participation in physical activity yields a myriad of both mental and physical benefits for young people. It leads to the development of healthy bones and muscles, a decreased risk of diseases resulting from sedentary lifestyles, and promotes positive mental health due to reduced anxiety and depression. According to CDC (8), school-based physical activity programs not only resulted in better clinical outcomes but also improved academic performance. There is a positive association between physical activity and better cognitive skills, improved academic behavior (attentiveness and concentration), as well as better academic results (CDC 8). These results eliminate the fears that dedicating more time to CSPAP activities will affect school performance negatively.
Intervention Evaluation
The effectiveness of the CSPAP will be evaluated by checking the trend of BMI measurements of the students. School staff and community volunteers will participate in measuring the students’ BMI at the beginning of the program and every six months after its implementation. The school nurse will train the volunteers and staff members on how to make accurate and reliable measurements. All students will participate in the program except those whose parents will decline to give consent for BMI measurement. Decreased weight and BMI values will indicate that the program is working as expected. Other indicators include better attentiveness and concentration of the students in class as well as improved grades following the implementation of CSPAP.
The short-term effects of the program implementation include an increased number of classroom physical activities, increased active participation in exercise session within the student population, and a higher number of recesses in a school day. Long-term outcomes include policy changes that will advocate for school-based physical activity as well as the adoption of healthy behaviors and lifestyles by students that will extend into their adulthood. Consequently, the community will be healthier with fewer incidences of lifestyle diseases.
Works Cited
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs: A Guide for Schools. Atlanta, GA: U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 2013.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Childhood Obesity Facts. CDC, 17 Jun. 2015. <http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/physicalactivity/facts.htm>
Ekelund, Ulf, et al. "Moderate to vigorous physical activity and sedentary time and cardiometabolic risk factors in children and adolescents." Jama 307.7 (2012): 704-712.
