Essay Sample on Importance of Community Based Educational Approach

When it comes to addressing the issue of obesity in adolescents, research indicates that a community-based approach can be very crucial. The community based educational approach incorporates schools and focuses on both physical activity and diet, which is a very effective way towards combating obesity in adolescents and children. Accordant to research, to avoid obesity among adolescents, it is crucial to focus on both physical activities and diet in the community where the children live and attend school since the surroundings of the children are critical contributors to the risk of obesity (Anderson, 2015). A focus on a community based educational approach is essential since children, in general, do not have little control over their surroundings.

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The community educational program can concentrate on a family-based approach by actively involving the parents and the children to bring change to their lives. The primary aim of adopting this approach is to actively engage the parents and their children and encourage the children's parents to mobilize resources which can help improve the health of their children. This is a suitable method of combating obesity in children because of the involved dynamics. Studies indicate that most obese parents end up having obese children (Anderson, 2015). This is because children are subjected to their environments. This evidence proves why a community based educational program adopting a family-based approach is critical, and its success will be a breakthrough towards addressing the obesity issue in children. The scope of using the family-based approach will critically educate children and their parents to be physically active and also motivate them to make better, healthier choices that generally improve their wellbeing. The main aim of adopting this approach is not to only help children and their parents to improve their health but also to ensure that they continue to share the learned lessons with the people who they interact with (Sabin & Kiess, 2015).

A community based educational intervention can include interventions like; physical activity, healthy diets, improvement in the quality of foods supplied to the neighborhood, and learning institutions. A community based educational approach is primarily meant to reach people in different settings in the community. These settings include schools, worksites, healthcare facilities, and the whole community (Anderson, 2015). Every unique setting provides educational opportunities which can reach the children using the existing social structure in the community. This approach is essential since it reduces the time and resources required for the program development and at the same time, also has a maximized impact on the entire community. By using this approach, people will have high levels of contact with the information either directly or indirectly. By using the community-based approach, sharing, or information is encouraged in the whole community through social and peer interactions (Anderson, 2015).

The challenges that may arise when providing health education programs for this group are enormous. The cost of the community-based approach is generally high, and they include faculty training and recruitment, fieldwork accommodation and office costs, curriculum development, and salaries for field staff and faculty. The community based educational approach is generally not cheap. To provide good educational programs, appropriate resources are required to avoid time wastage. The travel expenses for the team should also be considered. Sometimes, it might even be challenging to establish trust between the cultural group and the staff, mainly from the side of the cultural group (Sabin & Kiess, 2015).

To conclude, the community based educational approach is an essential technique for educating and informing people about the different methods they could adapt to combat the obesity issue in the cultural group. Children learn a lot from their surroundings, and it is very critical to ensure they grow up in environments which encourage them to adopt and lead healthy lifestyles. This approach will help them to appreciate healthy diets and physical exercises which promote their overall wellbeing.

References

Anderson, J. D., Newby, R., Kehm, R., Barland, P., & Hearst, M. O. (2015). Taking steps together: a family-and community-based obesity intervention for urban, multiethnic children. Health Education & Behavior, 42(2), 194-201.

Sabin, M. A., & Kiess, W. (2015). Childhood obesity: current and novel approaches. Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 29(3), 327-338.