NURS FPX 6026 Assessment 3 Population Health Policy Advocacy

NURS FPX 6026 Assessment 3  Letter to the Editor-Population Health Policy Advocacy

Student Name

Capella University

NURS-FPX 6026 Biopsychosocial Concepts for Advanced Nursing Practice 2

Prof. Name:

Date

Letter to the Editor-Population Health Policy Advocacy

Dear Editor,

I am writing to raise the concern of adolescent obesity, emphasizing the need for school-based interventions as a strategic solution to address the public health concern. Therefore, we have developed a policy that requires immediate implementation in nationwide schools to alleviate the challenges and improve health outcomes. Moreover, implementing this policy necessitates a coordinated effort through interprofessional collaboration. 

According to the World Health Organization, obesity affects 200 million school-going children (Kumari et al., 2022). Furthermore, the study elaborates on the current outcomes of adolescent obesity, revealing an increased rate of chronic conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and mental health challenges. These poor outcomes extend beyond adolescence, impacting long-term well-being and repercussions in adulthood.

While some initiatives, such as physical therapy, nutritional counseling, and sleep management, are employed to address this issue, their implementation results in fragmented quality of care (Johnson et al., 2020). Furthermore, the current status of care quality reflects a situation in which some schools have implemented obesity prevention strategies, like wellness policies and health education, while other schools have not. This leads to a lack of standardization and consistency, raising concerns about the efficacy of these programs. 

NURS FPX 6026 Assessment 3  Letter to the Editor-Population Health Policy Advocacy

However, several knowledge gaps persist in analyzing the current state of care quality and outcomes. This includes information on the sustainable impact of existing interventions and comprehension of cultural nuances that influence health behaviors. Furthermore, areas like strategies to engage the community and the effectiveness of interprofessional collaboration require further investigation. Areas of uncertainty include socio-economic factors that influence the disparities in executing school-based programs. 

The existing state of care quality and health outcomes underscores the need for developing comprehensive school-based health policy to address the complex challenges encountered by affected individuals. Existing variations and fragmented interventions need a comprehensive approach that can be effectively implemented across diverse educational settings, covering all contributors (nutrition, physical activities, and sleep) of obesity (Maffeis et al., 2023). Moreover, advocating for policy development is vital to bridging the gaps in care coordination, fostering healthy lifestyles and behaviors, and creating a better school environment to improve the quality of care and outcomes for obese adolescents. 

Furthermore, policy advocacy will drive improvements by mobilizing resources, creating awareness, and ensuring holistic wellness policies are enacted to combat adolescent obesity collectively. However, cultural relevance, long-term sustainability, and monitoring and evaluation ambiguities require further clarification. Thus, additional information is needed related to culturally tailored approaches, scalability and lasting impact of these policies, and measures to monitor the effectiveness of programs. 

NURS FPX 6026 Assessment 3  Letter to the Editor-Population Health Policy Advocacy

Thus, we developed a policy for comprehensive health education programs and wellness policies for the availability of nutritious food and limited access to sugary snacks and beverages on school premises. This policy is vital in improving the quality of care and outcomes for adolescents as it provides an organized framework to address the concern. The preventive health education programs will help affected individuals to make lifestyle modifications, thus combatting immediate health risks. On the other hand, standardized policies regulating the availability of nutritious foods and limited access to unhealthy diets create a supportive and healthier environment, encouraging adolescents to choose healthy dietary habits (Jacob et al., 2021).

Yet, we have some contrary perspectives about the potential concerns of stigmatization and resource wastage. According to Baile et al. (2022), stigma is generally associated with obesity in school-aged children. The overaggressive targeting of affected individuals by school-based interventions can further aggravate the stigmatized environment, hindering students’ participation in core activities and leading to mental health challenges. Another critical emphasis is on resource wastage. Critics evaluate that available financial resources should be allocated to social projects, focusing on reducing socio-economic disparities and significant healthcare issues. They support rerouting funds to address pressing problems, particularly in environments with limited resources (Almutairi et al., 2022). 

In a broader perspective, this policy can be developed and implemented in diverse care settings. While the comprehensive policy focuses on educational environments, it can be extended to healthcare settings, community centers, and recreational facilities under their health educational programs. This policy will facilitate early identification and timely intervention for high-risk individuals when implemented in healthcare settings. Community centers and recreational facilities can also incorporate tailored educational programs to encourage physical activity and healthy dietary habits among affected and high-risk individuals (Pearce et al., 2019).

NURS FPX 6026 Assessment 3  Letter to the Editor-Population Health Policy Advocacy

However, it is crucial to recognize potential challenges, such as resource limitations and resistance to change among these diverse care settings. Increased funding and strategic budgeting can mitigate resource constraints. Moreover, creating awareness of the long-term benefits of these preventive measures will be essential in overcoming resistance to change and acquiring support for policies from various care settings. 

The interprofessional team plays a pivotal role in achieving desired outcomes for adolescents. Teamwork among interdisciplinary professionals, including health educators, nutritionists, physical education instructors, school nurses, policymakers, parental involvement coordinators, and community liaisons, guarantees a comprehensive approach to addressing adolescent obesity. These professionals bring diverse expertise to address different aspects of health concerns, such as developing educational programs, medical care, nutritional counseling, physical therapy needs, and mental health concerns. This collaboration improves understanding of the challenges faced by adolescents, leading to more tailored and effective interventions (Garg et al., 2023).

NURS FPX 6026 Assessment 3  Letter to the Editor-Population Health Policy Advocacy

Furthermore, effective communication among these team members ensures seamless integration of educational programs and wellness policy, promoting a synergistic impact on health outcomes. This interprofessional approach impacts lasting behavior changes and lessens the long-term consequences of adolescent obesity. However, areas of ambiguity and uncertainty exist about effective communication strategies, and resistance to change that must be delineated to ensure seamless collaboration. Additionally, clear guidelines and ongoing training are essential to address the uncertain areas, ensuring that interprofessional teams contribute to achieving desired project outcomes. 

In conclusion, addressing adolescent obesity demands a change in approach toward informed policy development and interprofessional collaboration for school-based interventions. The urgency of this matter necessitates a collective effort from policymakers and other stakeholders to ensure that the policy is successfully implemented to achieve desired health outcomes.

Sincerely,

[Student Name]

References

Almutairi, N., Burns, S., & Portsmouth, L. (2022). Barriers and enablers to the implementation of school-based obesity prevention strategies in Jeddah, KSA. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being, 17(1), 2135197. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482631.2022.2135197 

Baile, J. I., González-Calderón, M. J., & Rabito-Alcón, M. F. (2022). Obesity bias in the school setting: A brief report. Children, 9(7), 1067. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9071067 

Garg, M., Badiuddin, H. F., Begum, S., Kumar, P., Ali Mohammed, C., Kalasuramath, S., & Gilbert, J. HV. (2023). Evaluation of co-existence of overweight and anemia among young adults in Coastal Karnataka, India using an interprofessional approach. Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health, 23, 101386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cegh.2023.101386 

Jacob, C. M., Hardy-Johnson, P. L., Inskip, H. M., Morris, T., Parsons, C. M., Barrett, M., Hanson, M., Woods-Townsend, K., & Baird, J. (2021). A systematic review and meta-analysis of school-based interventions with health education to reduce body mass index in adolescents aged 10 to 19 years. The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 18, 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-020-01065-9 

Johnson, V. R., Cao, M., Czepiel, K. S., Mushannen, T., Nolen, L., & Stanford, F. C. (2020). Strategies in the management of adolescent obesity. Current Pediatrics Reports, 8(2), 56–65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40124-020-00214-9 

Kumari, S., Shukla, S., & Acharya, S. (2022). Childhood obesity: Prevalence and prevention in modern society. Cureus, 14(11), e31640. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.31640 

Maffeis, C., Olivieri, F., Valerio, G., Verduci, E., Licenziati, M. R., Calcaterra, V., Pelizzo, G., Salerno, M., Staiano, A., Bernasconi, S., Buganza, R., Crinò, A., Corciulo, N., Corica, D., Destro, F., Di Bonito, P., Di Pietro, M., Di Sessa, A., deSanctis, L., … Wasniewska, M. (2023). The treatment of obesity in children and adolescents: Consensus position statement of the Italian Society of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetology, Italian Society of Pediatrics and Italian Society of Pediatric Surgery. Italian Journal of Pediatrics, 49, 69. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-023-01458-z 

Pearce, C., Rychetnik, L., Wutzke, S., & Wilson, A. (2019). Obesity prevention and the role of hospital and community-based health services: A scoping review. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1), 453. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4262-3 

Guidelines for Letters to the Editor to the International Journal of Obesity

Specifications: 

1. No abstract required. 
2. Word count: 1000 words (only main body of text, excluding table/figures and reference list). 
3. Maximum 2 tables or figures can be added. 
4. There should be maximum 10 references.