Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition affecting children and adolescents that has increased by more than eightfold over 40 years (Ling et al., 2022). It is a significant health problem globally, with a prevalence of 19.7% in the U.S, affecting around 14.7 million children and adolescents aged 2 to 19 yeas. old (CDC, 2022). Several studies have documented how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase the risk of childhood obesity and associated behavioral and psychiatric symptoms such as binge eating, inadequate sleep, impulse control, and depression (Tabone et al., 2022). Thus, it is essential to address ACEs and childhood obesity to enhance childrens' overall health by implementing trauma-informed care approach.
The proposed program is focused on helping Lafayette County residents address childhood obesity intergenerational trauma. The program offers nutrition and health workshops that help participants recognize and identify risk factors and protective factors of ACEs, as well as to improve their dietary habits. The program aims to avoid shaming, weight stigmatization, and self-blame among adolescents and foster a positive attitude towards healthy eating. Furthermore, therapy and consultation sessions to the entire household will be offered to support the development of resilience and close relationships among all members.
The program will incorporate various trauma-informed principles, including safety, trustworthiness and transparency and peer support to recognize the impact of trauma on human health. It is important to create a physically and psychosocially safe environment for individuals who have experienced trauma. We will have community involvement in internal decision-making and program design to further build on trust and transparency. Peer support will also be incorporated into therapy sessions which allowing individuals to share their experiences and develop a mutual understanding and trust.
The project will be utilizing McLeory's Social Ecological Model to help understand and address factors that impact behavior and health outcomes. Individual factors and interpersonal factors will be addressed by facilitating nutritional and health workshops with a trauma-informed approach which will increase awareness and positive attitudes towards healthy eating. Monthly health coaching sessions will provide personalized guidance on healthy dietary behaviors and goal setting. The program address the community level by having community heath workers to provide social support and help services navigation, as well as provide support to overcome obstacles faced within households.
Our project will be utilizing primary and tertiary levels of prevention and health promotion approaches. Primacy prevention involves promoting healthy eating habits and physical activity through health workshops and individualized health coaching. Tertiary prevention involves treatment options for ACEs through monthly therapy and consultation sessions to help family cope with trauma and stress.
References:
CDC. (2022, May 17). Childhood Obesity Facts. CDC. Retrieved February 18, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html
Ling, J., Chen, S., Zahry, N. R., & Kao, T. A. (2022). Economic burden of childhood overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-anaylysis. Obesity Review, 24(2), e13535. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13535
Tabone, J. K., Cox, S., Aylward, L., Abunnaja, S., Szoka, N., & Tabone, L. E. (2022). The roles of depression and binge eating in the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and obesity. Obesity Surgery, 32, 3034-3040. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-022-06192-9
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