Health Issue Of Obesity In Children Living In Mildura City

Introduction

Healthy eating is significant for achieving good health and it has more significance for the population group of children in any country. In the state of Victoria, it is found that 25 percent of the children fall under the category of obese and overweight (ABS, 2018). Mildura has the second-highest rate of obesity in adults which is at 35.6 percent (ABS, 2018). The children who are overweight or obese are at a higher risk of adult obesity and nearly 80 percent of the obese adolescent will mature into obese adults (Simmonds et al. 2016). Therefore, this population group has to be protected against the risk factor of obesity and related health conditions. Healthy eating has to be promoted in this group for addressing this health issue. In this report, the negative impacts of obesity are explored in the chosen population of children, related social determinants and how it is addressed by the Victorian public health and wellbeing plan 2023-2027.

Childhood obesity - a priority health issue in the city of Mildura

Obese children and adolescents have five times more probability to become obese adults (Simmonds et al. 2016). Just like any health issue, the incidence of obesity is more common in the children living in the disadvantaged areas (AIHW, 2018). Obesity is prevented when a child has improved healthy eating habit. Healthy eating is important for children in any age bracket for achieving good health and for preventing them to remain malnourished or becoming obese and overweight. A child and his or her parents are aware of healthy food choices. Healthy eating is a pre-requisite for good physical and mental health development. Moreover, they require a range of nutrients in sufficient amount to ensure good physical and mental health. Healthy eating has become an issue in this population group of this city and hence there has been a rising incidence of obesity. Carbonated drinks and unhealthy food items are highly popular in this group. There is little awareness about the ill effects of consuming these food items on health. there is less intake of healthy food items like vegetables and fruits.

Prevalence- the prevalence of obesity is significant in the chosen population in this city. It is reflected from the ABS figure taken for the Victorian state where a quarter of the children fall under the category of obesity. Hence, it is a priority issue which needs to be addressed by the state and municipal health care plans and organizations.

Severity- obesity increases risk of different diseases and has been found to be linked with higher incidence of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and others (Jacobs Jr et al., 2022). Further, it also increases the risks of psychological issues like poor self-esteem, bullying, depression etc. This condition can also lead to weight-related complications like sleep problems such as sleep apnoea, stress on joints, bones and ankles (Sánchez-López et al., 2020).

Impacts- there are wider impacts on the person, communities and societies. It has been found that obese children have ill health or they are at an increased risk of poor health. It is also likely they will continue to grow into obese adults attracting many cardiovascular diseases (Simmonds et al. 2016). Obese children have worse performance at school and are more likely to suffer from psychological distress (Simmonds et al. 2016). This further adds burden to the individual, society and communities.

Costs- there are direct healthcare costs which are borne by the families and the caregiver for the obese children. They are found to suffer from weight-related issues like stress on bones and ankles. Higher obesity incidences also attract eating and sleep disorders. There are indirect costs borne by the families like increased expenses on unhealthy food items and absenteeism from schools.

Trends over time- In a longitudinal study, it has been found that the incidence of obesity and overweight increases with age and nearly 31 percent of the adolescents at the age of 16-17 are obese. The rates of obesity increase with age over time and there are 11 percent of children who are obese by the age of 16-17 (AIHW, 2020). In Australia, the rates of obesity and overweight for the children and adolescents have reached a plateau since 2007-08 but for the indigenous children and adolescents this has increased from 31 percent in 2012-13 to 38 percent in 2018-19. The largest increase for this figure was for the children in the age-bracket of 5-9 years (AIHW, 2020). The aboriginal children and adolescents who are disabling and are coming from the inner regional areas and the ones who are living in the lowest socioeconomic areas are more likely to be obese and overweight than the other children and adolescents (AIHW, 2020).

Childhood obesity becomes a risk due to certain factors like lower socio-economic positions, aboriginal background, non-availability of nutritious food, higher intake of unhealthy food like carbonated drinks and fast food, lack of awareness of healthy diet, sedentary lifestyle etc. These risk factors increase the likelihood of occurrence of this condition in children. Additionally, there are protective factors which protect against this condition. Availability of health services and awareness programs help in adopting heathy diet which promotes intake of nutritious food items. Amongst others higher socio-economic status also protects a child in consuming good food and being monitored for health regularly through insured services. Educated parents also serve as a protective factor against childhood obesity as they can inculcate right eating habits in their children (Tomayko et al., 2021). They help in the prevention of this condition and promote healthy eating and lifestyle habits in children (Tomayko et al., 2021).

Determinants of health

Determinants of health are explained for the chosen health issue of obesity in the population group of children with the help of the Dahlgren and Whitehead (2021).

Figure- model of health determinants

Source- (Dahlgren & Whitehead, 2021).

In this model, there are three layers explaining the different determinants impact the chosen health issue. In the chosen health issue, there are individual characteristics which impact the health issue. The individual characteristics of being an aboriginal also raise risk of becoming obese. Individual characteristics of family income also points at the risk of obesity as lower socioeconomic condition is associated with higher rates of obesity. Additionally, children are found to be inclined to consume larger quantities of unhealthy food products and item like sweetened beverages and carbonated drinks which are also related to increased obesity. In this layer, individual characteristic is modifiable by implementing programs and policies as these are personal behavior like unhealthy eating habits and use of carbonated drinks (Strugnell et al., 2024).

In the second layer, individuals interact with their immediate community people and peers and they are influenced by them. In the chosen population group of children, it is found that peers and community factors play a key role in adopting healthy eating habits. Lack of planned cities makes the children use public and private transportation and there is less physical activity.

In the third layer there are governmental policies and programs which are targeted to ensure access of rich food supply and for creating awareness. Additionally, there are socioeconomic factors like aboriginal background and lower socioeconomic status which also raises risk of obesity in children.

Table. 

Addressing the health issue with the help of municipal health and wellbeing plan

This plan has included many health determinants for checking the occurrence of obesity in the children population of this state. The chosen municipal health and wellbeing plan is the Victorian health and wellbeing plan of 2023-27 (DoH, 2023). It has been targeted to take action to increase healthy eating habits in all the age groups.

According to this plan, sustainable food system and healthy food environments are promoted for supporting Victorians adopt healthy diets. Easy access to unhealthy food items like carbonated drinks is checked. Healthy food environment is created through the efforts of community setting and public sector. In this plan, aims are drafted to be achieved for promoting healthy eating in the people. it is aimed to promote intake of nutritious food as recommended by the Australian Dietary guidelines. Implementation of policies which are promoting the uptake of healthy drinks and foods in the key public settings like early childhood services, sports and recreation setting and events, schools, health services and workplaces. Exposure of children to marketing of discretionary drinks and foods is reduced for checking their consumption. An equitable food system is promoted for rendering sustainable food systems to all the people in the priority population groups. This plan has implemented strategies to achieve the above-mentioned aims through local, regional and state-wide partnerships for driving collective action. This plan is aligned with the Healthy kids and healthy futures plan which is a five-year plan for supporting young people and children to be active, well and healthy.

Strengths

There are many factors which are contributing to this health issue. These are ranging from social, cultural, political, economic, environmental etc. It is therefore clear that there are strengths in this plan for addressing the chosen health issue by working on different determinants of health related to this health issue. For instance, it has checked marketing of unhealthy food in the societies. It is focussed on promoting and increasing availability of nutritious food items while at the same time limiting exposure of children to unhealthy foods. It is also working to increase awareness through state, local and regional partnership. Health care infrastructure and health insurance programs are implemented to ensure access to health care services as well. Healthy diet as recommended by the Australian dietary guidelines is also promoted.

Gaps and recommendations

However, there are certain gaps which are found in this plan. It does not describe the need of planned cities and towns which checks the physical inactivity of children. Availability of greenspaces, health checkups for school children and awareness on physically active lifestyle are not included in this plan to limit the occurrence of obesity in the chosen population group. It is recommended that the plan can increase its focus on the aspect of physical activity and regular health checkups in school going children. The children who are at risk of becoming obese can be protected through health promotion strategies like healthy eating, reduced consumption of packaged food and carbonated drinks. Physical activity like cycling can be promoted for reducing weight. Teachers and parents can be collaborated with for addressing this health issue in the chosen target population of Mildura city. Particular attention can be given to the children who are from aboriginal community. Additionally, the children can be provided with regular awareness sessions for making them aware of the harms of eating junk food and carbonated drinks. They can be made aware of ills of sedentary lifestyle and benefits of sports, cycling and walking in their daily lives.

Conclusion

It is concluded that obesity is a priority health issue in the population group of children. The occurrence of childhood obesity is increasing particularly in the aboriginal children living in lower-income regions. There are different determinants of this health issues which are covered in this report. The chosen plan also addresses many of these determinants and has been successful in limiting access of children to unhealthy food by checking marketing of such products. However, recommended actions can be taken to check the high occurrence of this health issue. Green spaces, planned towns, promotion of healthy eating and access to fresh food helps in encouraging a healthier lifestyle and keeping away from chronic diseases and disability. This plan is a comprehensive one and it is effective in targeting the health issue of obesity in children of different age groups. However, health determinants promoting physical activity have to be focused upon in this plan.

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