An examination of Childhood poverty and obesity in UK
Obesity as a condition has been suggested to be determined by comparing the body max index (BMI) figure of a person with those that have been set .This has been suggested as qualifying a person to be obese or not (Cole et al. 2000). Obesity has implications. The level in which someone is determined by factors such as genetics and ailments that someone has already for example defects in the thyroid gland, as stated by Phyllis et al, (2005). It is a common view that the rate at which obesity is growing is different for each country (Cole et al 2000). However, there are countries, according to Lissau et al (2004) in which the rate of growing for obesity is the highest. It is also widely held that children who have excess weight have higher chances of being obese when they grown up as suggested by de Onis and Blossner, (2000). In addition to that, Guo et al, (2002) state that those people who are obese at adulthood easily suffer from medical conditions. Several factors make people more prone to obesity (Phyllis et al, 2005).
Several authors have suggested some of the causes. To begin with, Farooqi et al, (2002) and Krude and Gruters, (2003) have stated that the human genes can to a certain percentage cause obesity. In addition, some drugs used for treatment can make people gain weight at a rate that is not usual for a person. This is because of the chemical components of the drugs that react in given ways in the body of a person. These reactions are ones responsible for the weight gain experienced (Marder et al 2004). Another factor for consideration is the social class of a person, according to the findings of Zhang and Wang, et al (2004). In the social classes, the determinant is brought out by the different behaviours experienced in each social class, and is characterized by the purchasing power of a person. Finally, the ways of life as suggested by Moore et al, (2009) do have a big role to play in promoting obesity. The current attention given to obesity is of importance because of the effects that it has on the health of the body with regard to diabetes according to Sinha et al, (2002), among other effects.
1.0 The core learning outcomes of the examination between childhood poverty and obesity relationship in the UK
Overweight and obesity affects all social groups but is more common in lower socio-economic and socially disadvantaged groups (Royal College Physicians, 2004). According to Royal College Physicians (2004) children who are overweight or obese during childhood are more probable to become obese adults and likely to suffer more severe health consequences. Children are also at significant risk if one or both parents are overweight. Poor diet is the major cause of obesity in lower socio-economic groups. Almost 30 of children aged 2-10 years are overweight or obese (Jotangia et al. 2005). Levels of obesity are 5 higher in children living in the most deprived areas of the UK compared to the least deprived (Health Survey England, 2003). If the rapid acceleration in childhood obesity experienced in the last decades continues, the predicted prevalence will be in excess of 50 by 2020 (Royal College Physicians, 2004).
1.1 Developments in postgraduate level of appropriate learning programs
The school based initiatives like the introduction of nutritional parameters that should be used to gauge the quality of food that is provided in schools. Such a case was introduced in 2001 in England and Wales. The national curriculum is inclusive of nutritional matters such as food preparation that children are expected to learn in school. This is important because according researchers childhood is a fundamental period toward the acquisition of obesity. This is because it determines whether obesity cases are going to increase or reduce, since nutritional patterns develop during this time, according to Harper, (2006).There is the National school Fruit initiative that requires children who are between the ages of 4 and 6 years to receive a fruit without being charged. Presently, this initiative is being expanded to include children who are 7 years of age. The Food Standards Agency is working on creating ways to be employed in passing information regarding proper usage of food labels. The food labels would aid the families control the amount of calories that are consumed by the family members and consequently the children.
Postgraduate curricula should monitor local trends in obesity and lifestyle habits so that areas of greatest need can be targeted. Programmes should be evaluated to determine effectiveness and suitability for integration into mainstream services. The postgraduate trainees should provide advice and organize training programmes, which should be updated and replicated regularly. The curricula should provide a health equity audit for obesity management services. Further more, the curricula should encourage the development of innovative services to explore new and efficient ways to manage obesity. Postgraduate curricula should concentrate on developing a wide variety of weight management services to meet the needs of the local population, especially hard to reach and high-risk groups. Options that should be considered to meet this need are as follows. Physical activity programmes, individual and group sessions with Dietician, pharmacist, nurse or community led clinicsgroups, pharmacotherapy, and special obesity services. The programme should be able to identify those who are obese or at risk of obesity with diabetes and coronary heart disease through health checks and GP registers, and refer appropriately via care pathways. The curricula should encourage behaviour change through community education and support programmes. Postgraduates should develop early identification protocols and care pathways that can be audited for overweight adults and children to be used by primary care and school nurses. More over, the curricula should enable the trainees to engage the community in health promotion programmes such as cook and eat groups, exercise classes, walking groups and healthy workplace initiatives (Sophia et al. 2010).
1.2 Identification of an appropriate range of learning resources
Physical activity, physical education and sport initiatives are being employed in schools. This includes the effort to train more teachers, developing inter school sport and raising awareness on the importance of active lifestyles. Physical education is mandatory in the school curriculum for all students until they attain the age of 16. This helps in keeping obesity at bay since researchers, for example Robinson, (2001) have found out that TV viewing has substituted physical activities. Researchers have realized that physical play activities like roller skating have become more efficient in keeping children within recommended weight limits as compared to sporting activities that are considered orderly. This is according to Tremblay and Williams, (2003). The importance of the physical activities according to the researchers above help in utilizing the fat that has already been stored hence helping in controlling the weight that is gained by children.
Organisations should be influenced to make obesity a priority and to foster joint working. Skills, knowledge and public interest in food and active living should be improved so that people can make positive changes. The government should ensure that there are accessible and affordable food and leisure choices. This would enable children to take correct diet and participate in sports. The government should ensure that there are changes to the environment to make healthy choices easier for everyone. In addition, government should ensure there is focussing resources to address health inequalities. The government should ensure that there is effective partnership working between health, the local authority, the private sector and voluntary sectors (Sophia et al. 2010).
1.3 Demonstration of an explicit responsibility for learning
Child poverty is considered a major cause of obesity in children. There have been efforts directed towards providing minimum income that can afford children the recommended nutritional requirements. Such efforts have been coming from children minded groups such as the Child Poverty Action Group and the Department of Works and Pensions. This is especially the case that is seen in the lower social class that consists of the poor who have difficulties of meeting the cost of living. There is a need to look at the responsibility that the corporate world has towards cutting down obesity levels. Such include cutting down on sugar and portion sizes on products that they are selling. Researchers are saying that the way food is packaged and promoted to increase sales has determined largely the eating patterns of people. This is according to Chopra et al (2002). This is because foods that are enjoyed by children are those that have a lot of calories, for example candy. Pinstrup and Babinard, (2001) have written on the subject and said that the bending towards foods that are high in calories is fast picking speed in developing countries. The corporate world, who are the manufacturers of such foods have made the foods attractive by increasing the packaging and reducing the prices. This is done to increase sales while the nutrition rich foods become viewed as more expensive.
To halt the year on year rise in obesity among children under 11 years from 2002 to 2004 baseline, in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole. To increase the percentage of school children in England who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality PE and school sports within and beyond the curriculum to 75 and at least 75 in each school sport partnership. Learning is to ensure delivery of cleaner, safer and greener public spaces and improvement of quality of the built environment in deprived areas and across the country, with measurable improvement. This is because in the majority of cases obesity is caused by a sustained imbalance between the amount of energy consumed by a person and the amount used up in everyday life. Increasingly easy access to high fat palatable foods that tend to encourage high intakes of these foods is apparent, as is the decline of physical activity due to increasingly sedentary lifestyles (Department of Health, 2005). In children doubles the risk of Type 2 diabetes (and first cases now seen in children), early development of risk factors for later heart disease raised blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar and psychological problems (Reilly, 2004).
1.4 Evaluation of the usefulness of learning resources
The communities as a whole and families have a great role to play in fighting obesity. The Sure Start approach comes in handy by providing the necessary support towards enabling the community and families to fulfil their duty. It does this by providing financial support that is required. In addition to this, there should be created strategies that can be used to help the said communities and families, according to Wang et al, (2003). This is important considering the social classes where the lower classes mostly do not mostly have the necessary machinery to employ in fighting obesity, for example through knowledge and the access to health facilities. According to NHF, (2002), there is need to have ways of developing on the policies that are already in existence in order to be more effective in dealing with obesity. According to a report by NAO, (2001), it is important for all parties concerned with fighting obesity to work together in all ways. This will direct all efforts that are being put by the parties concerned into one direction hence the achievement of the objectives would be much easier.
The main purpose is to help people who want to loose weight through practical advice and support to promote health lifestyles, screening and referral through obesity care pathways. The next is to encourage activity through community level interventions to promote physical activity, sport, cycling training, use of green spaces and walking to school. Knowledge got is used to develop high quality family and early support, such as Health Start, aimed at increasing the uptake and duration of breastfeeding. The strategy is to develop local capacity and capability in the health improvement workforce in obesity prevention and management. Learning process identifies gaps in provision of resources and service and realigns to target health inequalities. Learning process increases physical education at schools, with protection for school playing fields and opportunities for organised sports after school. Learning will enable the trainees to put measures of ensuring that every Primary Care Trust (PCT) has at least one full-time qualified school nurse working with each cluster or group of primary schools and the related secondary school. The process enables to develop childrens trusts to integrate the planning, commissioning and delivery of health services across education and social care. The programme enables trainees to involve all schools over time to deliver an integrated range of services to pupils, parents and the wider community through extended schools (Sophia et al. 2010).
2.1 Review of some literature by using the social class perspective by applying Karl Max Theory.
The social classes give a clear picture of obesity distribution and growth in any society. This is because those high up in the class are not as affected by the condition as those in the low class. This is because the earning power of the different classes is different with those in the upper class earning more. This makes it possible for them to afford the right nutritional requirements for their families. Researchers say that the growth of obesity among the poor and the marginalized adds to gloom to their already challenged health condition as a result making them even more different in their fairing on from their counterparts (Haslam et al, 2006). This means that they already find it almost impossible to have access to quality medical care because they cannot afford the shooting medical care costs. This is because they cannot afford the insurance cost that their counterparts do and as a result are able to afford quality medical care.
There is an understanding among economists through their theories that availing reasonable income to people who are poor or who find it hard to meet the costs of living in their day to day life can help in bringing closer the gap that exists between the wellbeing of the able and the poor. The gap that exists between the poor and the rich is widening and this has made it almost impossible to bridge it considerably within the time that the leaders of a country plan to. Economists argue that income related health inequality has continued to widen as the years pass. There is a direct link between obesity and poverty. This can be seen when comparing the less learned and well off ladies, according to (NAO 2001). This survey was conducted to prove that the level of learning and the level of poverty, do affect obesity acquisition in people. The awareness of availability of food seems to be connected to obesity, (Basiotis and Lino, 2003). The lower cost of high calorie foods as compared to fruits and vegetables makes it less hard for families with incapacitated financial freedom to opt for the high calorie foods that are major contributors to obesity. This is because of their intention to minimize on the amount of money that they spend on meals so that they can save. This will also be a way of ensuring that they do not go below what is required by the body for energy. This is according to Rolls and Barnett (2000).The costs of meals depend on the quality that is chosen. This therefore means that people with low incomes cannot pick the best quality that offers them complete nutritional requirements. This is because they only want that food that will fill their stomachs while fulfilling their energy requirements.
A lot has been written by researchers on the topic of obesity. These findings have to throw light into a subject that people do not know much about, and if they do, are not doing much about it. These researchers have looked at the way obesity manifests itself and the figures that are associated with its manifestation. Post Note (2003) gives insight into the meaning of obesity by saying that it is a condition where a person gains weight that is too much that it can cause health problems to that person. This weight increases when the person is consuming too much calories than the body can utilize. The calories that are not consumed are the ones that become fat. The fat deposited in different parts of the body and accumulates with time hence causing weight gain. It is calculated by considering the body mass index that is achieved by looking at the height and weight of a person being measured. The weight should be in kilograms while the height will be calculated using square meters. The figures that are used to define the borderline for obesity cannot apply for both adults and children. This is because children at different ages have different body max index. This would mean then that defining the body mass index of a child would need looking at the age in which the child belongs. This would help in calculating the implications of the childs body mass index. Body fat can be calculated using different techniques for example imaging as suggested by Stanforth (2004). This is followed by finding out the skin fold thickness of a person as stated by Sardinha et al, (1999), bioelectric impedance assay (BIA) Anthropometrics, Biggard et al (2003) and Maffes et al (2001). Currently, there are benchmarked values that can be used when calculating obesity for children, according to Fernandez et al, (2004) and McCarthy et al, (2001).
Social class confounds a number of considerations like incidence of poor health, life expectation, way of life choices, social behavioural standards, social status, fiscal wealth and admission to private health care and the rest. Each one of these thoughts is related to social class through very difficult ways. On the other hand, Dolan concludes that the social class weights are attributable to inequalities in life expectation at birth. People in social class 1 are likely to live approximately 7 years longer than those people in social class V. The Dolan advance inquired from the general community for their normative first choice for prioritizing particular attributes. Dolan presents these attributes as the scope of equity. However, in some cases, the difference between equity and efficiency is not obvious (Epstein et al. 2009).
2.2 Evaluation of Karl Max social theories which have effects on childhood poverty and obesity in UK
For Max, the examination of class structures, changes in those structures and social class is a means of understanding capitalism and extra social structures or forms of production. In the Communist Manifesto, Max and Engels mention that the history of every hitherto existing people is the history of class efforts. The study of class divisions and efforts is particularly significant in building an understanding of the nature of capitalism. For Max, classes are described and structured by who holds or possesses possessions and resources of production and who carries out the work in the production process. Max also considers the social relationships involved in labour and work, and finally, Marx considers who produces and who handles the surplus human social labour production level. These economic aspects more completely govern social relationships in capitalism than in the earlier people. While earlier people had classes, these might have been section or elites that were not based exclusively on economic factors, for example priesthood, military and knights elite (Gingrich, 2002).
Tyler, (2007) discusses Maxs theory on social classes giving insight into the different classes that exist in society and the benefits that befall to the people who belong to specific classes. In this, the power of those who are at the top is brought out because of their ability to influence what happens in the economy of the society they are found in. The classes that are found in this quest of collecting more wealth for those who already have are as follows. To begin with, there are people with the money for running investments and the human effort that is used to create more investments belongs to. Secondly, there are those who have the human effort that is needed to produce goods and services in order to add to what the rich already have. They do this so that they can get a source of livelihood because they are poor, and the working conditions are not good. The next class is that of the landowners. This class is used in order to grow more investments by the owners of the investments.
The other classes include those who have small investments though the investments cannot be enough for survival hence they have to toil for the big investors, the small-scale landowners who grow produce. The understanding of this theory requires that the groups be distinguished through the behaviours of the specific groups. It also requires that there be an enlightening on the dealings between people in the quest towards producing and growing more wealth. It should be understood that the dealings between the different groups do not get along since they are always racing against each other. In addition to that, each group has interests that are only directed to the benefits that group only. To this view, it is said that the imbalances between men and women can be accredited to the part that women play towards creation of investments and livelihood in the family and society at large. This has therefore brought out women as belonging to a group of their own. The Maxist approach brings out the imbalance in society that exists out in the market and in homes. These theories are a wake up call for the government to accept fully the implications of the tenets that are brought out, and which are a clear indication of the reality on the ground. The governments should realize that there might be forces within it that are pulling back the efforts that it is making in its endeavour to reduce the social class gaps that leads to childhood poverty and obesity in UK.
Obesity as a condition has some implications to the person that has the condition and the society at large. Post Note (2003) gives the following as some of the effects that are caused by being obese. To begin with, obesity is known to cause conditions that would require a physician attention .Such conditions can be those that interfere with sleep patterns of the affected children, according to Gupta et al, (2002) and Young et al, (2004). It is noted that if one has type1diabetes, being obese can play a great role in transforming the type 1 diabetes to a type 2, one that is more chronic. For women, they are twelve times more prone to type 2 diabetes if these women are obese, compared to those women who are not obese. The implication is that obese schoolchildren are getting the type 2 diabetes, a disease that had earlier on been considered to affect adults only. Children are also prone to cardiovascular diseases as a result of the obesity according to Reilly (2003). Lee, (2009) credits obesity to cases where young girls who under normal circumstances would not have received their periods start doing so at an earlier age as compared to their peers who are not obese. Some researchers have looked into the economic effect that the obesity issue has on the economy of the countries that are affected. Haslam et al, (2006) says that the UK spends 6.4 billion as the yearly cost that is directed towards fighting obesity. This cost involves catering for both the children and adults.
2.3 Statistics of childhood poverty and obesity in UK
A research that was carried out by Sport England, (2000) shows that the number of young people allocating 2 or 3 hours per week from 46 in 1994 to 33 in 1999. Health Development Agency, (2005), continues to note that there has been a drop in the number of children who walk to school, from 62 to 56, between the years 1989 and 1991. In the same years, there was a decrease in the number of children cycling to school from 5 to 2, this results both are due to childhood poverty experienced in UK. Post Note (2003) gives the results of An Independent Television Commission survey that shows an increase in the nature of being physically inactive. The survey portrays the 4-15 year old spending not less than 2.5 hours a day watching television. It also says that there is a strong link between obesity and the number of hours spent watching television.
The diet that people consume determines greatly the probability of one becoming obese. Post Note, (2003) gives evidence that through the findings of the WHO FAO expert group and the National Food Survey, foods that are considered to be major contributors include fast foods, high sugar sweetened drinks and candy snacks. Large food portions were also considered to be risk factors during the surveys. Post Note (2003) stated that fat as much as it is considered a contributor is determined by the type of fat that is consumed. It has also been suggested that the children who have a lot of weight also have a high tendencies of getting medical needing outcomes of eating obese causing foods (Ebbeling et al 2002).
Dealing with obesity requires adaptive and alleviative measures. Post Note (2003) gives the approaches that are in use currently in dealing with the obesity issue. There is the intention of increasing breastfeeding by 2 per year, putting the attention on financially challenged populations. Researchers have stated that the type of nutrition that is provided to babies from an early age determine whether they will become obese or not later on in life. This is according to the International Obesity Task Force, (2003). This is to promote healthy living from the early years and at the same time limiting the onset of the condition in children. In 2004, an approach was started to enable these challenged populations to access to their children healthy food like fruits, vegetables and milk. This was called the Healthy Start. The sure start involved providing valuable information regarding nutritional issues that they did not have access to Grummer-Strawn and Mei, (2004) and Victoria et al, (2003). The nutritional information included the different types of food and the energy levels that they contain in addition to the nutrients available in each type of food.
Dolan et al (2008) represents the results in terms of statistically important dissimilarities in the major parameters, however as the report acknowledges, at a realistic level, what finally matters is whether the results would bring a difference according to the incremental cost-efficacy of an intercession. This is a difficult problem that is beyond the plans of the Dolan study, and therefore the report does not completely address the matter. Dolan estimated parameters for quality of life without treatment, age, accountability and infrequency of condition, and the dislike to inequality. Dependents, time length with the circumstance and social class were dropped. Dolan et al (2008) stated that the most important explanation for dropping the three attributes was the difficulty linked with them. For this reason, the three attributes were not likely to be utilized in international level decision-making. For instance, the duration of time in general is not the problem, other than the difference between duration of time since obtaining a condition and since being put on a waiting listing. It is not whether or not an individual has dependents that matters, other than whether or not an individual is the one and only dependable adult for a little child (Epstein et al. 2009).
According to researches, being obese, apart from direct body issues causes sociological and psychological problems. Post Note (2003) gives the following. First, the societies disapproves looks to such people and are treated in a way that portrays them as being less as compared to the rest in addition to being disliked. Research has shown that obese children suffer from poor self-esteem, do not believe in themselves, are sad, and with no hope. This is a sad predicament, as children do not have the necessary skills that would enable them to live under such circumstances, according to Williams et al, (2005). Lee, (2009) adds to that by saying that such children rarely live up to their potential. This is because of the forces that are working against the obese child, for example the disapproval from the rest of the family members at time and the society at large. This may make the obese child to lose out on chances that come with socializing with the rest of the society. Coronary heart disease is mainly attributed to causing early death in people who are obese. NAO gave the figure of people who died from heart attacks, as standing at 28,000 and 750,000 cases from those who died from unstable blood pressure .This is in England alone because of a study conducted in 1998. Other diseases include colon cancer, arthritis and back pain.
The behaviour of obesity with reference to the rate at which it is increasing over the last few years has changed significantly. Chinn and Rona (2001) say that cases of obesity rose significantly by equalling twice the figures that were there in 1994 as compared to 1984, and this is among twelve year olds. Reilly et al, (2003) noted that this information was arrived at through a research that was conducted by the Health Survey for England. The rise in obesity has also been significantly noted in the National Audit Office that by 2010 the obesity levels would have risen such that in every four adults, one would be obese.
2.4 Recommendation for treatment of childhood poverty and obesity in UK.
So much literature has been given to bring out light on the state of obesity in society. There is need for a special plan or plans of action that need to be taken to fight obesity. Maziak and Stockton, (2007) say that obesity has become uncontrollable and that people are consuming huge amounts of calories and are burning far much less than they are consuming. This is supported by the surroundings where people reside, which in reality means the estates. Maziak and Stockton, (2007) give some factors that will determine the future of obesity fighting .On top of these factors include nutrition, relationships within the family setting, the need to conform to the ways of a given group, the ways of the society which are in turn influenced by class demarcations and the ability to afford the costs of living, and the rules and expectations that determine what is right or wrong. Nutrition means the quality of food that is brought to the diner tables, which will be determined by nutritional information.
Scholars have suggested that obesity in children should be prevented even before the baby is born. This is because the way the mother feeds during pregnancy affects the baby after birth according to Hediger et al, (1999) and Bhargava et al, (2004). There is need to carry out surveys to find out how the manifestations of the condition reveals itself in different setting of life. This means looking at how it affects people from one region and how the different regions differ in the way obesity manifests itself. It is not enough to carry out research. It is important that the findings from research be used in carrying out the necessary knowledge dissemination according to the group of people that are being addressed. In these cases, their special characteristics should be considered in order to ensure that the knowledge that has been shared fulfils the purpose for which it was intended. There should be a balance that should govern the different expectations and duties of the two sexes in society. This is important because it will cater for the females in society who have been a marginalized group for a long time. This group continues to be so marginalized in some parts of the world to a large extent the developing nations. The calorie rich foods that are lacking in the required nutritional requirements have been proved to cost relatively cheaper compared to healthy options such as cereals and fruits. This therefore hampers the efforts to be put in educating the public on healthy food choices. Therefore, there is a need to make healthy food the first option by making them affordable and available to everyone, as suggested by Kubik et al (2003) and Lackey and Kolasa, (2004).
The governments of countries should be aware that obesity as a condition should be given priority during planning. It should not be treated in a reactive way but rather in a way that ensures minimal occurrences are experienced. This therefore means that it should not be left at the level of doctors because they cannot handle the level in which it has reached. This means that there should be an enablement of carrying out tests on children with a lot of extra weight to find out whether they are obese. This will facilitate the carrying out of the required corrective steps as suggested by Phyllis et al, (2005). According to Young et al, (2002), Yanovski, (2001), Weiss et al, (2004), early detection of obesity in children and the effort taken to reverse the problem will keep the child away from the medical conditions that are associated with obesity. Early efforts to reduce the weight of obese children will also keep at bay the possibility of the children becoming alarmingly obese when they grow up. This is according to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, (2006). It should be understood that deep thought should be given in fighting obesity as compared to the obvious alteration of nutrition, to those affected. This is because there needs to be a long-term solution and therefore the approaches used should be sensitive to the parameters that are surrounding obesity.
A good way of finding a solution to clearing the festering obesity would be to find practical ways of merging the answers to the thorn that obesity has become with the day-to-day life of the people concerned, and is shown in appendix 1. This means that surroundings should be complemented by the solutions being implemented for example creation of security to enable the people living in an estate to feel secure enough to leave their cars behind when going to work (Lobstein Frelut, 2003).
Policies are important in order to provide some form of direction in the actions that are taken in a given pursuit. Policies that are in place determine the control that is place to curb manufacturing of obesity promoting products. An example is the suggested Fat Tax. However, caution is being exercised on this one because research has to be done on this one to see the effects that such a move would cause. There is need to have international rules concerning obesity promoting food products. Such rules would help in acting as a freezing point for such products coming into developing countries. This is important because internal policies in developing countries are not always enforced to the letter. This will help in controlling obesity in the developing country, a condition that has not hit the roof though it is picking its pace there this will help control the death and disease that obesity has brought all over the earth (WHO, 2002).
Studies show that the need to have an approach that requires countries coming together to obesity and the challenging effects that it brings include the following. To begin with, it would facilitate sharing of information among the countries. In addition to that, it would support the ability of the member countries to have access to finances that are critical in the journey towards ending obesity. This will also support the ability to have a say in the rules and regulations that are in put in place. This is because partnerships create equality, a factor that affects whether one is heard or not. Policies on advertising play a great role in controlling the way that the media will control itself with regard to the effect they will have on the consumers, who mostly happen to be children. These adverts targeted for children are mostly for processed food, most of which are high in fat, sugars or salt. This is according to Sustain, (2001).
Bringing light to the issue for the people can help a long way in fighting obesity. This can be through showing proof of what obesity is doing to the people and what more it is capable of doing to the people and the rest of the society and the country at large (Cutler et al 2003). This information should include finding ways of aiding the obese people who have been fighting the condition and are not making significant progress. In this, those who want to but do not know the approach to use can also be directed towards the right steps to take (Department of health, 2005). An approach that is chosen in doing something affects the overall results that are achieved. According to a research that was done by ServQ,(2004) , the approach that has been used by the partners involved in health matters of the people in the UK was lacking in that the partners were not working in a connected and well aligned way. This means therefore that the partners were not taking advantage of the opportunities that were available through such partnerships. There have been some directions that have been agreed upon as a result of the ServQ, (2004) findings. There is an intention to endure that the people who work for the ensuring of the peoples well being are well versed with the problem at hand (Draft paper, 2006).
Some parts in the UK have some action plans to try and curb the unhealthy eating habits that are associated with obesity and which are mostly found in poor neighbourhoods (Chopra, et al 2002). Such an area in the UK is the Colchester. To help heal the area of obesity, a Programme was introduced in September 2004. This Programme was meant to try and cut down the speed at which obesity was growing in the area. This included approaches that were already ongoing while some were to be worked on as the exercise continued. The ongoing approaches included the training of people responsible for handling children with obesity from all sectors for example physicians and tutors. It also included the enlightening of stage 2 children on how to go about their daily activities that affect their overall health with regard to obesity. Another one is the Breakfast Club that is intended to provide students with a good nutritional beginning before classes. The others plans in other parts of the UK have also been introduced here and include provision of walking paths that are secure when going to learning institutions, breast-feeding support, creation of a Sports Trust that is aimed at motivating students to join sporting activities (NAO 2001).
2.4.1 Methodology of the Estimation of equity weights Dolan study
Post Note, (2002) says that obesity occurs when someone consumes energy that is more than they can use. Obesity as a health condition does not just happen, although there are people who become obese because of their genetic make up. WHOFAO, (2002) gave factors that could greatly affect the probability of one becoming obese. These were summarized by Development Agency, (2005) which stated that less and less young people are participating in sporting activities to burn the extra calories. This is despite researches that show that living an inactive life makes the probability of young people becoming obese when they are still children or when they become teenagers, according to Moore et al (2003).
The Dolan et al (2008) report was specially made by NICE to examine whether there was feasibility on calculating approximately the equity weights to be utilized in cost-effectiveness study. Dolan signifies the social welfare function (SWF) parametrically as W aEa -r (1-a) Eb -r (-1r) where r stands for the aversion to overall inequality. The slope a(1-a) stands for the weight that ought to be given to a gain in group A similarly to group B. CEA can be characterized as values of a 0.5 and r 1, that is to say, a linear SWF with a slope of -1. Dolan regarded the following characteristics to be potentially of significance to the general community and strategy makers while distinguishing that these characteristics are not essentially independent (Epstein et al. 2009).
Source Epstein et al. (2009). Pp, 41.
Several attributes appreciated by Dolan could reflect concern about the process, the healthcare quality, or other aims that are not totally captured by QALYs. If there are exterior benefits that are not considered by the QALY, then the threshold cost per QALY might not reflect the exact marginal benefit of treatment to the people. Dolan found out that the general community gave considerably higher weight correcting NHS inaccuracy. Yet, the PSA by now includes performance administration indicators for clinical inaccuracy or hospital-acquired illness. QALY might be more effectual to make sure that NHS societies place a high main concern on reducing these threats upstream than allotting more resources to treatments sourced by carelessness. Dolan found a non-considerable lower preference for treating diseases caused by lifestyle and other related factors. QALY would be complex for decision makers to make judgments when placing macro-level main concerns about the level of personal responsibility intrinsic in a condition. QALY in addition raises a question about whether a dissimilar weight, higher or lower may be placed on an upstream preventative measure that altered behaviour or decreased the damage caused by such behaviour. Dolan found a considerably better weight for very unusual conditions. This may reveal concern for ultra-orphan drugs, high cost treatments that need expert facilities and investigation that would not be expected to be funded by ordinary channels. NICE has pointed out that an ICER of 200,000 to 300,000 would in general be needed to fund these treatments (NICE 2008a), significantly greater than the preference-based weight projected by Dolan of 23,760 per QALY (Epstein et al. 2009).
The above discussions show that childhood obesity needs to be taken seriously because of the repercussions that are associated with it (Visscher and Seidell, 2001). This is because it has been shown to be among the main causes of ill health in mature people (Basiotis and Lino, 2003). There are recommendations that have been made which if followed can help towards fighting obesity at a level that has results in an effective and efficient manner (Anderson Babinard, 2001). These have been summarized by The Department of Health (2005) as passing of information in obesity to all the parties involved, increased research, better approaches in schools with regard to nutrition and physical activities and enabling schools to install best practices with regard to healthy living of students. It has been suggested by the National Public Health Service for Wales, (2006) that it is important to try and bridge the gap between the rich and the poor as the poor are having huge trouble in fighting the obesity condition. This is because of their inability to secure adequate nutrition as a result of their financial limitations. In addition to that, correct nutritional requirements need to be introduced to children early in life if obesity is to be kept away (Assessment 2006). This gives the governments of the world more responsibility towards raising the living standards of the rich (Dowler and Turner, 2001). The causes of obesity have been suggested by many authors through the researches that they have carried out. These include poor ways of living that facilitate poor nutrition and lack of physical activities, taking of some types of medication that attract high rates of weigh gain and the affordability and cheap access to food stuffs that are rich in energy (International Obesity Task Force, 2005).
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