Essay Sample on Ethical Issues in Health Advocacy Campaign

It is always the responsibility of nurses to provide their patients with quality care. However, in their practice, they are confronted with some ethical issues hence; they ought to familiarize themselves with the code of ethics and the important components of decision making. The code of ethics in healthcare is meant to provide one with the requirements of their practice in a professional way as there are moral and professional obligations that are illustrated to prevent diseases, promote the well-being of the people, enhance communication, manage healthcare systems and conduct research.

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Provision 7 listed in the ANA Code of Ethics in relation to advocacy for population health tells that nurses should act as assistants in advancing their practice through actions such as educating the concerned, providing administration, developing knowledge and contributing to their practice. Provision 8 of the same code of ethics states that nurses should be able to collaborate with some other professionals in healthcare to enhance the well-being of the community, the nation, and the world in ways that they can meet the health concerns of the people. Provision 9 states that the nursing practice as presented by the various associations and members of the associations should articulate the various values relating to nursing to enhance the integrity of the practice and shape the social policy by integrating the principles of social justice into nursing and the entire health policy.

Interventions of obesity for the sake of expected population health gains are guided by various ethics and lobbying laws. Depending on the type of health identities in the society, the interventions dominate the society at different levels. Further, issues such as the unintended challenges of preferring various health identities, and the way that public health policies are justified influence the justification of obesity interventions.

Ethical dilemmas

There are certain dilemmas regarding public health policy associated with equivocal evidence and sustain the stigma regarding obese and overweight persons. One of such a dilemma that could be faced is the degree to which unrestricted health is considered and the impacts on the preferences of various types and identities of health. In that case, there could be a primary affliction of the people suffering from the condition. A common view on obesity is that this case would be caused by a disrupted agency as related to the consumption of the people or other health-related options they have, those that affect the ability of the people to lead healthy lifestyles. For obesity, fatness is a common stigma since much health information is related to various cultural beliefs that various fat people should just be gluttons or sloths by nature. Further, it is noted that the people should be lacking self-control and moral fiber, a huge expense to healthcare institutions for the sake of medical treatment (Peckham S, Hann, 2010). This ethical dilemma may lead to various assumptions regarding the kinds of lives that the afflicted groups guide prevention policy options and treatment. Since this advocacy campaign targets groups that commonly express a periodical preference for taking challenges such as eating junks and taking up less exercise, the results may be repression since they are vulnerable. Further, there may be marginalized groups, which need assistance guided by professionals that should be seen as engaged in contested health options.

Another ethical dilemma that may exist with this health advocacy campaign is whether obese people see themselves as being overweight and their attitudes towards the condition. The dilemma may also extend to the intervention responses that the people may give. A qualitative interview by Thomas et al. (2010) has noted that many obese individuals support multiple interventions, which are "non-commercial, non-stigmatizing and designed to improve lifestyles." These interventions may include regulation, physical activity programs, and initiatives of public health instead of enhancing campaigns that relate to the loss of weight.

Other ethical dilemmas may include challenges of the effects of application to the physical health of the population that may result from unfavorable intervention, the resulting negative psychological consequences, and issues of privacy. Further, disregard for the social and cultural advantage relating to consumption may be considered. These ethical challenges associated to the models of health uniqueness that are pleasant to the people, the unintended negative results of preferring various health integrity, and the way at which justification of public health plans and invasions are done.

How to resolve ethical dilemmas

Even though there are efforts towards countering the constant increase in overweight and obesity including taxation for consumable goods and borders to retail advertising, I would encourage informed choices through the health advocacy campaign. Further, I can also note that there should be diminishing societal costs that aim at countering obesity. Since food and eating habits are listed as the primary causes of obesity, each person's life and cultural and social meanings can be represented in the ethical frameworks to make the issues as important as other issues in healthcare. In the dilemmas and the debates caused by these dilemmas and in the rush to work on something regarding the health risks associated, I would only focus on the degree of effectiveness and ethical pitfalls associated with the advocacy campaign.

Even further, an ethical framework can be similarly important to assist professionals in an overweight prevention to ascertain that ethical issues are mapped and that there are informed choices regarding the extent of the applicability of the framework. It is inarguable that such ethical frameworks ensure that the development is valuable. As far as ethical programs aimed at curbing the problem of obesity are cost-effective, ethical perspectives can be perceived. These interventions may promote positive actions including autonomy, privacy, and the freedom that people have to make informed choices.

I can also work alongside the government to make sure that many of the ethical dilemmas are eliminated. The government can inform the people about the eating choices that may result in curbing the ethical dilemmas. In doing so, the people can make the right choices on what to eat. The government can start with the smallest burdensome policies such as persuasion campaigns alongside some research and evidence prior to implementing some other incremental actions as people fight for obesity.

Ethics and Lobbying laws

With the legal capability and ethical responsibility to control and promote the health policy, public health law can be enforced to create certain conditions that make sure people lead the healthiest lives. Law is considered a critical instrument that is applied in public health, and employed in a methodical tool that aid in the prevention of chronic illnesses and pleading how grown the rates of obesity are (Mensah et al., 2004). Lobbying laws aim at influencing a government policy or action (Nestle & Pollan, 2003). Most commonly, the food industry lobbyists can influence each level of a government including the state level through implementing collaboration with legislators. Therefore, certain policies, which are beneficial to the population that is interested in food, tend to be passed as a result of lobbying. However, most of them tend to be detrimental to public health. The framework employed by Centers for Disease Control can be used to show how important laws are in enhancing public health. Public health law is important in creating the best solutions to poor lifestyle.

Healthy lifestyles

Lobbying laws can exist in three specialties, which are "healthy lifestyles, healthy places, and healthy societies". For healthy lifestyles, the victims may need to incorporate into physical activity and maintain a healthy diet. Government interventions through law can ensure that the population maintains a healthy lifestyle. Some of the interventions that can be made may include implementing policies that reduce the prevalence of healthy goods that contain a lot of calories, sodium, and fats including highly saturated fat. Some of the other interventions that are and can be used by the government include introducing plans that back tax and ensure that harmful foods are banned, implementing food marketing and making sure that food labeling is done effectively.

Healthy places

For the case of healthy places, access to environments that encourage healthy foods and exercise may be enhanced. This is an important intervention by the government especially through the implementation of zoning regulations and management choices that change the conditions lived with the aim of promoting a healthy lifestyle and encouraging people to exercise routinely. This can exist in three dimensions where there could be zoning as related to access to affordable and healthy foods. Zoning can be used to prohibit farmers from growing food where it may be sold. A few local governments state that a nutritional environment exists where local farms are subsided. In regards to physical activity, there are laws that govern developers and industry in their performance before they can start new structures for the sake of assessing the environment to ensure quality health care.

Public transportation

For the case of public transportation, the person who uses public means is physically active as compared to who does not use the same. There are laws that govern this issue and offer subsidies for access roads instead of public transportation. Physical activity is ensured in a place where the population uses public transport hence, its importance in reducing obesity rates.

Healthy societies are also ensured by the governments. There are administration laws that ensure healthy societies where the government can use the policy powers it has to improve the societal responses to the factors causing obesity, alongside the reduction of discrimination and stigma. It is at this domain that complex sociocultural factors are considered, those that influence childhood overweight and rates of adult obesity. This program is aimed at raising the awareness of the impact of eating habits on health. However, the campaign may tend to overlook that these are more than biological requirements of man as they are associated with social and cultural values. This may, however, be designed in a way that the change of people's lifestyle is minimized. However, failure to incorporate laws introduces a gap that should be addressed. Various states are now pressing to make sure that menus include calorie information, sugar foods and fat content of the diets offered. The programs may demonstrate promises even though wide-spread adoption can be required to make sure that an impact is perceived over a particular time.

Influence of the food and drink industry

Various transnational corporations and retailers compose the market that exists in other countries, such which are organized into lobby government to counter issues related to food. Even though there is no bad food, obesity rates continue to grow and most of the existing food corporations are ensuring that there are policies of social and corporate responsibility that empower people to make the best of their options and assisting children to make good choices while encouraging exercise (Ludwig, 2008).