Concepts in Program Design and Development

At the end of the week, the student will be able to:

• Identify available and accurate resources of population data.
• Identify steps of developing programs to address population health needs.
• Identify challenges and barriers to program development.

Week 7 Discussion: Programs to Address Need

 Childhood obesity is a growing health issue in the United States, causing children to develop early onset of diabetes, hypertension, and other co-morbid conditions associated with obesity and morbid obesity. Additionally, children who are affected by obesity face social discrimination, which can lead to low self-esteem and depression. According to the CDC (2019), the prevalence of obesity was 18.5% and affected about 13.7 million children and adolescents in 2019.  Although there is awareness of this trending issue, the prevalence of childhood obesity continues to increase.  According to the State of Childhood Obesity (2019), in Massachusetts, 14.4% of children ages 10-17 are obese; thus, Massachusetts has a ranking of 25 out of 51 for this age group among all states and the District of Columbia.

               According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2018), body mass index (BMI) is a measure used to determine childhood overweight and obesity. The BMI in children is determined using an age- and sex-specific percentile, which differs from BMI categories used for adults.  The rationale for this is because children’s body composition varies as they age and varies between boys and girls.  A BMI at or above 95th percentile for children and teens of the same age and sex would classify them as obese.

                Although there is a multitude of causes for obesity, certain factors are targeted as significant contributors. Unfortunately, with the growing use of computers, video games, and increase TV watching, children in today’s society are living a more sedentary lifestyle. According to the CDC (2018), when parents and children are exposed to environments that do not support healthy habits, making healthy food choices becomes more difficult.  The treatment for obesity in children and adolescents differs from those for adults. Involving the family in a child’s weight management program is a crucial element to successful treatment plans. Children need a healthy support system, including the entire family, which is essential in ensuring weight management goals are met.

               Various program models provide a standard and tested method for helping nurse leaders throughout the process of program implantation (Cupp-Curley, 2020). According to the CDC (2019), children from low-income families are more susceptible to become obese than children from high-income families. Consequently, children in low-income families are often served by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as (WIC). According to CDC (2019), “WIC is a federal program that promotes healthy eating and nutritional education for infants and children up to age 5, and low-income women who are pregnant, postpartum, or breastfeeding” (para. 4). 

              Although this program is offered to everyone, to be eligible you must meet income, residential and nutritional risk requirements. According to the CDC (2019), state-level data showed a modest decline in obesity among WIC- enrolled young children. In addition, a study published in November of 2019 determined that 41 WIC states and territory agencies had a significant decline in obesity among children aged 2-4 years old between 2010 and 2016.  In the state of Massachusetts, according to the State of Childhood Obesity (2019), obesity rates declined from 17.1% to 16.4%  among 2-to 4-year-olds enrolled in WIC from 2010-2016.

               In addition to the WIC program, there is a program within my community geared to address the needs of the trending obesity issue. This program is called the Mighty Weight Management Program for Children and Adolescents, which stands for Moving, Improving, and Gaining Health Together at the YMCA. The Mighty program was developed by the Pediatric weight management team at Baystate, with a mission of focusing on ways to improve the health of children within the community. This multidisciplinary program strives to help children between 2-21yrs old reach a healthy weight in a positive interactive shame-free environment. According to Cupp-Curley (2020), “successful programs must incorporate knowledge from many fields to address issues related to the structure, process, and outcomes involved in the program planning, development, implementation, and evaluation (p.180).

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               Thus, why the Mighty program team includes physicians, registered nurses, registered dietitians, a nutritionist, and a social worker, who all collaborates and communicate, developing the best plan of care for the children. The Mighty program is an intensive six-month group program that emphasizes on physical activity, nutrition, and change of habit for the entire family (Baystate Health, 2020). Additionally, families who participate in the Mighty program receive a free six-month membership to the Springfield, Westfield, and Greenfield YMCA (Baystate Health, 2020).

                A healthy weight loss program is designed to increase success rates. The weight management programs offered within my community are dedicated to providing high quality, patient-centered compassionate care that is committed to helping children, as well as their families, achieve and maintain healthy lifestyles and weight.

Baystate Health. (2020). Mighty Weight Management Program for Children and Adolescents

            Retrieved from https://www.baystatehealth.org/services/pediatrics/specialties/weight-Links to an external site.

            management-program

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Defining childhood obesity. Retrieved from

            https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/defining.htmlLinks to an external site.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Obesity among WIC-enrolled young

            children. Retrieved from  https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/obesity-among-WIC-Links to an external site.

            enrolled-young-children.html

Cupp Curley, A. L. (2020). Population-based nursing concepts and competencies for

            advanced practice (3rd Ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Co.

State of Childhood Obesity. (2019). The state of obesity in Massachusetts. Retrieved

         from https://stateofchildhoodobesity.org/states/ma/Links to an external site.