develop and submit a plan to educate parents and children about obesity.

Childhood Obesity Education Plan
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Childhood Obesity Education Plan
Childhood obesity is among the main health problems facing the United States of America. Obesity is described as having excess fat in the body. An overweight person is one who exhibits excess body weight based on a particular height and is associated with being obese. A person becomes obese or overweight due to an imbalance in the intake and expenditure of calories that are obtained from food. There are health consequences that are associated with obesity. Some of the adverse health problems are the development os asthma, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, bone and joint problems, and increases the risk of cancer.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the rate of childhood obesity has increased in the recent past. It further states that the percentage of childhood obesity between age 6-11 has grown from 6% to 18% over a period of 30 years. Additionally, it also indicates that obesity in adolescent age groups has increased by 15% from 5% thirty years ago (CDC, 2015). According to National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research (NCCOR), 7% of the obese children aged 5 to 17 had at least one cardiac disease, and 37% of them exhibited two or more cardiovascular risk factors (NCCOR, 2009).
Some of the reasons elaborated by the NCCOR that are the leading causes of childhood obesity include physical inactivity and the emergence of high-calorie foods such as snacks and fast foods that bring about an imbalance in energy expenditure.

Compared to the walking and cycling culture of children on the 1960’s to 1990’s, the practice of physical activity has been declining to allow the increasing cases of childhood obesity to occur. The stated information is important in helping understand obesity and identify strategies that could contribute to reducing the prevalence of obesity in young people.
Education Plan
Step 1: The parents and children should first be informed of the potential health risks associated with obesity. The objective of this strategy is to ensure that both parents and children are aware of the adverse health effects of obesity. The relay of this information can be done by use if illustrative leaflets that they can study.
Step 2: Secondly, high calory foods being one of the core reasons for childhood obesity, the matter should be addressed explicitly to the parents as well as children. A possible solution should be the formulation of a meal plan with the help of a nutritionist on the regulation of dietary intake. The goal of this approach is to guarantee that children, with guidance from their parents, can avoid high calory intake that may result in obesity.
Step 3: Physical inactivity should be the next matter addressed. Based on the facts provided by the CDC, physical inactivity limits the expenditure of energy that leads to weight gain and eventually causes obesity. I would suggest that the parents advise the young people to schedule about 3 hours of vigorous physical activity daily for adolescent people. Further, the parents should buy toys that promote physical activity for children below the age of 15. The parents and children should also be advised of the importance of the young people participating in at least one field sport in school.
Step 4: Another tactic that would help educate the parents and children is increasing awareness on undergoing regular medical checkups. Parents of most obese children do not often visit their physicians for clinical checkups that would help in curbing diseases associated with obesity as well get direction on how to prevent obesity. The parents and children should be educated on the importance of regular check-ups and provide a bi-monthly visit schedule for those who are considered having a high risk of getting obesity-associated diseases. Further ensuring that seminars are done every three months on obesity, and its health consequences would contribute to ensuring that there are a good number of parents and children aware of the condition.
Step 5: They should also be advised on avoiding practices that lead to obesity. Some of these practices include long hours watching television, video games or using computers. The current generation of children is adopting a different culture of playing with gadgets that promote weight gain. Parents should be advised to restrict the use of such use of such devices. Also, practices such as the driving to school which is nearby are among the factors that contribute to obesity and should be addressed.
Step 6: Lastly, the final step is to promote progress assessment every year by both parents and young people. The parents should provide rewards based on the real progress made in efforts of trying to avoid obesity such as avoiding high calory foods and physical activity. The aim of the strategy is to encourage the children as well as adolescent people to adopt healthy lifestyles.
In conclusion, to achieve success, the entire institution needs to work together in the execution of each goal. Every member should contribute to tackling the emergence of childhood obesity. The institution can also partner with relevant organizations that have specialized with childhood obesity reduction such as the NCCOR.
 
References
BIBLIOGRAPHY m Obe15 l 1033 Centers for Disease Control. (2015, August 27). Retrieved from Obesity Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/obesity/facts.html
BIBLIOGRAPHY m Nat09 l 1033 National Collaborative on Childhood Obesity Research. (2009). Retrieved from Childhood Obesity in the United States: http://www.nccor.org/downloads/ChildhoodObesity_020509.pdf