Assessment of Community-Level BarriersHCA430: Special PopulationDavid WhiteheadInstructor BaumanJuly 26, 2015

The vulnerable population I chose to discuss is the chronically ill and disabled people. The chronic illness I decided to write about is childhood obesity in Louisiana. Being born and raised in Louisiana, I have firsthand knowledge of the obesity epidemic going on.My proposed programs to health with the childhood obesity are to partner with local recreation and community centers in neighborhoods. Community and recreation centers help unite a variety of residents from the surrounding communities for social, educational and recreational activities that improve the quality of life for everyone involved. Every child needs to be active in the early stages of their life. When a child adapts a negative eating habit and inactive lifestyle it can carry on to their adult life. Prolonged unhealthy habits can be detrimental to one's health. The goal is to help get not only children but adults get active as well. The proposed plan would be to organize a weekly field day for the surrounding neighborhoods. One day out the week full of games and activities where everyone is having fun and being active. According to the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, children need at least 60 minutes of exercise a day. Regular exercise and physical activity are proven to improve children's physical and mental health, and help maintain a healthy weight. It promotes healthier communities, healthier meals for children and encourages healthier families. Also at the field day have health educators there to inform parents and children on living a healthy lifestyle. One barrier I can think of is getting the primary power and finances to help with the event and activities. The health educators will be there to inform and educate parents on what a healthy lifestyle is. Not only is being active the problem, but the nutrition intake is also something that needs to be looked at. Parents who have bad eating habits will pass that same diet off to their children. A micro-level barrier is financing. Most feel that they can't afford to eat healthily. The society we live in today is tough to eat healthily. Eating healthy can be expensive a salad is $6 but you can get five cheeseburgers for that same price. My goal would be to inform parents about healthy food options that are affordable, and the impact junk food with fewer nutrients can have on your child's health. "Those who are eating less or skipping meals to stretch food budgets may overeat when food does become available, resulting in chronic ups and downs in food intake that can contribute to weight gain"(Bruening et al., 2012; Dammann & Smith, 2010; Ma et al., 2003; Olson et al., 2007; Smith & Richards, 2008). Also environmental barriers that some residents face which include access to healthy food and limited options on the school menu.The biggest challenge we face is financing the event. Putting on an event for residents once a week won't be cheap nor easy. We will have to make sure we have the manpower as well. Getting enough people to work the events is key. Finding a source of funding is the first step. We must make a conscious effort to get information about funding. We need to partner with other organizations who have similar motives and experiences. If needed we can work with the residents of the communities we are trying to reach. Schools and local business may be willing to help because it is bettering their community as well. Another option is to contact TV and radio stations about sponsoring. Some media outlets use special events for free advertising. Not only is being active the problem, but the nutrition intake is also something that needs to be looked at. Parents who have bad eating habits will pass that same diet off to their children. The society we live in today is tough to eat healthily. Eating healthy can be expensive a salad is $6 but you can get five cheeseburgers for that same price. In most low-income neighborhoods, there are not many healthy food options. Also, there are not many supermarkets in the area. With the lack of grocery stores, it becomes less likely that they will purchase fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. In the place or markets are mom and pops style corner stores. Their options become limited, and they are not eating for health but what they can afford at the time. "Households with limited resources to buy enough food often try to stretch their food budgets by purchasing cheap, energy-dense foods that are filling that is, they try to maximize their calories per dollar in order to stave off hunger." (Basiotis & Lino, 2002; DiSantis et al., 2013; Drewnowski & Specter, 2004; Drewnowski, 2009). Another goal will be to help educate parents on inexpensive, healthy food options. The environment barriers are necessary to deal with. Lower income neighborhoods do not have as many community or rec centers like higher income areas have to make it harder to lead an active lifestyle. When centers are available, they may not be seen as attractive. Lower income communities usually have fewer natural resources and features. You add that to the crime rate and unsafe surroundings, this may be a reason children are less likely to use the facilities.To run a legal operation, we will need to obtain some documentation. We may need permit and licenses depending on the event and activities. Since our primary goal is to help fight chronic illness, we will need workers who are certified in CPR in case of emergencies. We must spread the word to the community that we are here to provide them helpful and informative resources for the greater good of the commonwealth. We need the residents to know that the resources we are providing to the commonwealth are optional but here for you.

References.Bruening, M., MacLehose, R., Loth, K., Story, M., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2012). Feeding a family in a recession: food insecurity among Minnesota parents. American Journal of Public Health, 102(3), 520-526.Basiotis, P. P. & Lino, M. (2002). Food insufficiency and prevalence of overweight among adult women. Nutrition Insight, 26. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion.