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Introduction
Childhood obesity has rapidly increased in America over a short period. Currently, nearly one in three children is obese. This number is even higher among African American as well as Hispanic societies where 40 percent of the children are overweight (Blackwell, 2012). If the country does not put measures to solve this issue, a third of the children born in the 2000’s or later will end to suffer from diabetes at some point in lives. Most of the children will face chronic obesity health problems such as cardiovascular risk factors (high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels, heart disease, cancer, obstructive sleep apnoea and asthma. Childhood obesity is a significant public health problem that should get addressed through prevention interventions and government policies so as to avoid future health complications.

In the recent past, many people led lives that kept them at a healthy weight. Children walked to school and from every day. They used to run around in recess, participated in gymnastics class as well as playing for long hours after school and before supper. Dishes got cooked at home with healthy portions of natural ingredients. Vegetables that are an excellent source of dietary fiber that helps reduce the risk of chronic diseases were part of the meal on a daily basis (Nkrumah-Elie, et al., 2012). Chemically raised food was rare while snacking between meals was scarce. These practices assisted in reducing the risk of childhood obesity; however the present day situation has allowed the population to become crippled by child obesity. Currently, kids have very opposite lifestyle. They now go to school by car or bus rides. Gym classes, as well as after-school games, got extinct. Evenings get spent on TV, video games as well as the internet. Families take less home-cooked food as required. Snacks are now the tradition in many households (Willhite, et al., 2014).

Obesity is the major challenge that faces children in the United States. In my opinion, many problematic illnesses that affect many children today are as a result of fast foods. It gets attributed to the fact that the children fall a victim to the fast foods advertisements that encourage their addiction to fast foods. My view, therefore, is that there should be stringent measures imposed on fast food industry especially in the method of advertisement, in which the key advertising practices target children (Blackwell, 2012). Many lifestyle diseases including cancer and other obese illness related problem gets attributed to the fast food snack that the children eat each and every day. The fast food industry consistently advertises their products in all the mass media that is greatly accessible to children. Some of the mass media in which children have access and where they get the information are the Internet, radio, and television (Wurtzel, 2015. Before the introduction of fast foods, children lived a normal healthy life and consumed health food; however the introduction of fast foods into the market led to a change in eating lifestyle. The eating habits of the children entail more of snacks in between meals than fruits or any other food. Home cooked food does no longer get preferred in households. It, therefore, calls for the need to regulate the fast food advertisement, as it has impacted heavily on the children eating habits on foods that are less healthy.

Fast foods get widely supported due to their high convenience regarding costs and time saving, as well as taste and flavor (Anderson, et al., 2014). Consuming fast foods is the fastest way of satisfying one’s hunger compared to preparing a meal at home that entails visiting the grocery store, cooking and later washing utensils. It is also more economical compared to preparing a meal at home where there are expenses from cooking ingredients and resources such as gas. However, these factors should not get considered for the loss of an individual’s health that may result in adverse effects.

1. In this course, we have focused on approaches that focus on the “higher levels” of the social-ecological model (organization, community, policy). What are two benefits of focusing public health practice on the higher levels versus the individual/interpersonal levels?

a. Please include specific examples to support each of the two benefits that you identify.

Community interventions and medical policies that cover higher levels, significantly contribute to minimizing the burden of poor health in the society as it covers an enormous number. For instance, community health nursing covers both the person and the entire family hence promoting good health. Through community nursing, it is easier to identify genetic disorders than it would be if the diagnosis and treatment got done at the individual level. After identification, proper treatment or preventive measure can get prescribed for the family, and even for the unborn children so as to treat or minimize the impact of the disorder. The general practitioner can also observe family interactions and risk factors that can be the cause if the disease. Ockene, et al., (2007), states that public health threats get addressed and prevented best from a community and multi-level perspective, through the media and increasing collaborations in the health systems.

Public health at higher levels is not only cheap but also encourages public participation hence improving the quality and state of health care. For example, community vaccination against a disease covers a wider number of individuals at a lower cost but delivers a great outcome as more people get vaccinated. Public health care at higher levels involves targeting communities with a similar factor such as geographic region, race, gender, or a particular health condition, and this makes it easier to manage using few resources in a short time framework. The media has also played a significant role in educating and mobilizing a large number of people regarding a certain public health concert at a low cost and within a short time.

2. Which one of the following approaches do you think should be the highest priority for public health practice? B. Community-Based Prevention C. Media Advocacy D. Prevention Policy & Legislative Advocacy E. Addressing Corporate Practices Explain and justify your choice, including responses to the following.

a. How does this approach contribute to public health practice?

b. Why is it more important/effective than the other approaches?

c. Why is it well-suited to an ecological perspective?

Media Advocacy

Media advocacy gets defined as a kind of public health communication that entails the use of various media for different purposes in the health sector. These purposes include communication of public health issues and measures, shape people’s opinion, mobilization of society’s activists and influencing decision makers on legal and public health policies. Media advocacy is a powerful tool for addressing numerous public health issues and threats more than community-Based Prevention, Prevention Policy, and Legislative Advocacy and addressing Corporate Practices. Media advocacy entails the multi-levels of public healthcare interventions that are individual, organization, network and society levels. It involves the prevention, treatment, and management of public health concerns.

Media applies different strategies to improve public health practice. One of the common techniques is through mass media (television, radio, internet, print publications and films) to disseminate information to the public (Edberg, 2007). Communication campaigns for public health practices such as campaigns against drug and substance abuse and best practices to promote public health that get communicated through public media influence people’s behaviors. Mass media may also get used to gain public support regarding a particular public health policy hence influencing the decision makers. The internet is also a vital tool for providing information concerning a public health issue as well as creating awareness. Technological advancement has also enabled easier interactions between the patient and the physician, such as tethered patient portals that allow communications between healthcare providers and the patient. These tethered patient portals enhance chronic disorder management, patient-health provider communication, patient’s compliance with medications and preventive services, and patient satisfaction (Otte-Trojel, et. al. 2014). The media also includes campaign programs such as the Truth campaign, campaign against HIV/AIDS, and National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign that promote public health through messages and campaign activities targeting the youth and parents. Media advocacy is also effective because, unlike the objective of addressing corporate practices that focus on a specific group, media advocacy reaches all individuals whether affected or not affected by the issue. Unlike prevention policy and legislative policy, media advocacy also covers o treatment and diagnosis of the public health issue.

Media advocacy is important and effective in the public health sector due to various reasons. Media advocacy can reach a broad audience in limited time. This audience includes decision makers, and individuals in remote areas that do not have access to a health facility, areas with poor infrastructure as well as areas hit by disasters such as floods. Media advocacy is effective since information always disseminated has a greater credibility than information presented through paid media advertisements. Media advocacy is also important since it is less costly. Media advocacy is one among the few public health interventions in which focus gets directed upstream to influence the environment in which individuals make various healthcare decisions. It gets used to accelerate and amplify the policy work so as to achieve the public health objectives for a safe and healthy environment in an informed and quick manner. Rowitz (2002), states that when media advocacy is community-based its most effective and entails collaborative measures at framing concerns, defining agendas, and monitoring the effectiveness of policy proposals.

Media advocacy in public health is well suited to an ecological perspective since it blends communications, politics, research and advocacy in achieving public health objectives (Dorfman & Krasnow, 2014).

3. Briefly, discuss which one of the approaches you think would be your preferred focus if you choose a career in public health. Some questions to consider:

a. Which one of the approaches do you feel best matches your personal strengths and weaknesses?

b. Which one do you feel is most aligned with the public health issues you are interested?

c. In what way do you anticipate that you would be involved in this approach?

Media advocacy
If I chose a career in public health, I would select media advocacy since by using the approach I would be able to reach a broad audience as well as influence public health policies. Through the use of creative writing which is one among my personal strengths, I would significantly make an impact in the public health sector. My publications and articles would emphasize on preventive and proper health habits, hence result in decreased health issues. I would also use research to identify emerging health threats and warn people in advance hence mitigate the impact of the risk or eliminate the problem.

Media advocacy is the most aligned with the public health issues of interest. For instance, most diseases are as a result of lack of information of certain avoidable actions. For example, diseases caused by poor dietary or tobacco and alcohol abuse or poor sanitation could easily get avoided and minimized if the community gets sensitized to the effects of these activities. Other diseases such as polio that can get prevented through immunization can get avoided if the society gets sensitized to the importance of vaccination of children at an early age. My aim in these activities would be to make the world a better place where diseases get prevented more that they get treated.

As an activist in public health sector, I would get involved in creative writing to sensitize people on certain components of public health. These components include effects of drug and substance abuse, the importance of maintaining a clean environment, proper hygiene, and public health. I would also get involved in organizing community support for the change in public health policies. I would also make publications regarding the current government policies regarding public health, the newest research regarding diseases and the effective prevention measures and also changes in the trend of the illnesses.