Eliminating Child Obesity in America - Case Study Example

ELIMINATING CHILD OBESITY IN AMERICA Student’s Name Course Module Date Instructors Name Eliminating Child Obesity in America Literature Review Research problem Children require a healthy and nutritious diet in order to develop normally. This fact is derived from the fact that infants and toddlers rely on nutrients found in food to develop their immune system. This information is relevant to all mothers in order to ensure that children receive the best foods to facilitate their growth and development. The awareness of the right foods to give to infants and toddlers is an issue in the contemporary society. The challenges of uninformed decision on child nutrition have become eminent with the modern lifestyles. The levels of ignorance among young mothers are fueled by the presence of processed foods. These foods have been accompanied by supplements that are meant to provide the nutrients necessary for a child’s growth. According to the World Health Organization, children who are under two years depend on a healthy diet to facilitate growth and formation of healthy bones. Khanna and Tosh (2016) maintain that childhood stage is very important as it marks the eventual outcome for the individual at the puberty and adult stages. A poor diet that is a result of misguided decision is costly for a nation that embraces healthy generation. These poor choices lead to obesity if the calorie intake exceeds the required amount (Khanna and Tosh 2016). The outcomes of healthy children are strong and dynamic citizens that pass the trend to their offspring. Most parts of the world today lack ideal information on child nutrition and this poses a threat to the development patterns in society. According to Kresic and Mrduljas (2016), there are numerous lessons that parents should learn in their endeavor to understand child nutrition and avoiding obesity. These lessons are valuable as they mark the beginning of responsible and dutiful parenthood. The values of society towards achieving the nutritional need of children play an important role in elevating the mind sets of the parents on their children nutritious needs (Khanna and Tosh 2016). There is a permanent problem of obesity among children in America today as one out of three children are facing obesity. Parents take the blame fully as they have introduced these children to unhealthy foods and lifestyles that create a conducive environment for obesity. Nutrition in children involves the scientific interaction of and the elements that are found in foods. This ideology indicates that what we eat determines the nutrient value that our bodies benefit from. The relevance of observing child obesity in America is because children are likely to face other complications resulting from childhood obesity. For smaller babies, breast milk and formula are essential for growth and development. After six months of weaning, the child must eat healthy foods that have low fat content and essential nutritive value. The toddles require a lot of fiber, which they often reject at the initial stages of introduction. Fiber prevents attacks by heart diseases. Fiber also assists in digestion and keeps the toddlers from constipation. The awareness on the benefits of fiber is relevant to the American society today as most parents have resulted in processed foods that provide minimal fiber content Obesity in children is a health risk that can lead to other complications later in life. This condition can be controlled by eating the right foods and observing active physical activity. Child obesity was initially a problem of poor nutrition and the trends in the rates of obesity in children have indicated that more action should be taken to ensure that situation is under control. Grade-schoolers are more susceptible to obesity as it is during this age that they enroll in school. Here the children have more choices in their diet and the parents result in providing a home with snacks to carry to school. It is at this stage that the unhealthy eating habits begin (Kresic and Mrduljas 2016). Children need cards and sodium for energy, but these should be consumed in low amounts. Excessive carbs are stored as fat and this fat eventually translate into health concern. Teaching children to eat right and exercising is often a method that can spread the awareness. The teen and preteen stages are a replica of the grade-schooling stage as here the young adults become aware of their weight and make efforts to eat right. The parents should therefore make family dinners and prioritize on the nutrients that this demographic group requires. The diets that the parents propose or provide should include high amounts of calcium. This is because the children at this stage are creating more bone mass and they require more calcium intake to enhance strong bone-structure. Understanding the nutritional needs of children in their respective stages helps in preparing them for healthy eating patterns both presently and in the future. Key words Nutrients, fiber, calories, carbs, supplements, cardiovascular, physical exercise, water References Payne-Palacio, June R. and Canter, Deborah D. (2014).The Profession of Dietetics. Jones & Bartlett Learning. pp. 3, 4.  Khanna S, Tosh PK (January 2014). "A clinician's primer on the role of the microbiome in human health and disease".Mayo Clin. Proc. 89 (1): 107–14. G. Kresic, and N. Mrduljas, (w2016)“The Relationship Between Knowledge And The Use Of Nutrition Information On Food Package,” Acta Alimentaria, vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 36–44, 2016.  Jennifer A. Woo Baidal, Lindsey M. Locks, Erika R. Cheng, Tiffany L. Blake-Lamb, Meghan E. Perkins, and Elsie M. Taveras, “Risk Factors for Childhood Obesity in the First 1,000 Days,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2016.  Marketing Plan Situation analysis The shocking statistics on the rate of child obesity in America is overwhelming being that one third of the child population in America is obese. This trend is worrying and it calls for rapid and dynamic action to reduce the number of obese children through lifestyle. The value of nutrition is incomparable to none as parents have to provide adequate information and lead by example. The plan herewith will address the behavior change on parents and pre-teen and teenage children. This move seeks to provide ideal information on behavior change and observing high nutritional standards of living to prevent on obesity. The plan will also seek to control the existing diabetic cases and enhance a healthy generation. The behavioral change will be the product that the plan intends to launch to the market for tangible results. The campaign will embrace the scope of nutrition in children widely and provide recommendations to the best practices that will foster health and prevent obesity in children. Segmentation and Targeting The marketing plan intends to focus on mothers, pre-teens and teenagers. These groups are aware of dietary needs and they can embrace the lessons herewith to make decision on healthy living. The mothers who are often proving maternal care of children have more time with children and they make decisions on the dietary needs of their children. Mothers make a decision on what their toddlers will consume and they determine the nutritive value of the foods altogether. The power of information is necessary in every home and mothers who are aware of the nutritional value of foods and the child’s needs shall guide sober decision-making on behalf of their children. Preteens and teens are also part of the segment as they can make decisions on what they want to consume. This stage comes with special needs for their growth patterns and preferences. The awareness will guide these segments into the right decisions that will promote healthy and strong bodies. Positioning and branding The positioning of the behavioral change will be dubbed “Healthy people for 2016”. This slogan will foster the spirit of unity and the drive to pass the message to the members of the market segment. The campaign will be carried froth using various promotional materials that will market the brand recognizable and appealing. The messages that the brand will carry will give hope to diabetic cases and give remedies to the same for improved lifestyles. The brand will be evident in mall as and social centers where the target group frequents for easier message delivery. The brand intends to reach out to more people within the time frame provided and eliminate child obesity from American soil. The marketing decision was a result of the belief that children are becoming obese due to ignorance. Educating the parents and giving them the right way of controlling and preventing child obesity will help in controlling the situation. Stakeholder analysis The marketing plan is a product of support from different stakeholders. These stakeholders have shown interest in the issue of child obesity and they have participated in making the campaign successful. One of the stakeholders has been the World Health Organization. This organization has provided huge support for the campaign through providing staff, printed material funding and equipment to conduct the marketing campaign. The WHO has shown undivided support through their contribution. The media has offered to air ads free of charge during the peak hours to create awareness on the danger facing America in regards to child obesity. These ads will reach out to huge crowds and most especially the target market. There are celebrities that have shown interest in the program and they have made contributions towards the campaign. These celebrities make will appearances to foster the message of “Healthy people for 2016”. Marketing mix Product The product, which the campaign seeks to present to the market, is behavior change and awarding powers through information. The details that the campaign will provide to its market will ensure that the existing cases of obese children will receive maximum care and the children will slowly recover from their condition through healthy living. The data that the marketing campaign will deliver to its publics is a product of thorough research from reliable sources. The WHO has contributed with printed material and training prior to the launch to ensure that the marketers are fully armed. Price The pricing for the product, dubbed “Healthy people for 2016” is not material as the product is behavioral change. The market will be required to provide their attention and apply the lessons learnt in their lives and their children. The resources that the campaign will impart are priceless and they will last for a lifetime. The cooperation of the audience is necessary in order to make the marketing exercise successful. “Healthy people for 2016” intends to locate the change in the nutritional intake of children and the lessons that parents deliberately impart to their children. These skills will in turn be priceless, but valuable when the children will instill them in their children. “Healthy people for 2016” is therefore involved in a priceless campaign that will secure the current generation and those to come from child obesity. Place “Healthy people for 2016” will reach out to its market from the health facilities in Dallas, Texas. Apart for the outreach on different media channels, “Healthy people for 2016” will serve its market in all leading social amenities in Dallas and busiest business centers. These areas are suitable as many people frequent for different needs. Promotion The marketing initiative will engage the use of television media and social media to connect with its segment. Print media will also be effective in communication with the market segment. The posters, flyers and articles placed on leading newspapers and magazines will also apply. The value of promotions in the campaign is uncompromised it will reach more people within a short time promote brand loyalty. Implementation The implementation process will be swift and dynamic towards ensuring the brand is accepted through awareness. The brand will be outstanding and the market entry methods will be unique in order to achieve maximum results. The teams will dispatch into different locations as scheduled and they will seek to answer as many questions as possible. The marketing campaign is set to run for two months and the teams intend to provide maximum data to the market and enhance brand awareness. The support from the society will be helpful in passing on the message. Being that the product is behavioral change, the society’s participation in the campaign will make the program meaningful. They will help in creating more awareness and thus improving the market dominance of “Healthy people for 2016”. Monitoring and evaluation As part of the monitoring and evaluation plans, the marketers will create social circles that will ensure that the segment engage their peers. These peers will get an introduction to the product and collect more data on child obesity. The marketers will also seek written comments for the potential consumers on the ideas received and the impact they will create in their lives. This strategy will ensure that the “Healthy people for 2016” campaign evaluates its effect on its market and makes modifications where necessary. References Payne-Palacio, June R. and Canter, Deborah D. (2014).The Profession of Dietetics. Jones & Bartlett Learning. pp. 3, 4.  Khanna S, Tosh PK (January 2014). "A clinician's primer on the role of the microbiome in human health and disease".Mayo Clin. Proc. 89 (1): 107–14. G. Kresic, and N. Mrduljas, (w2016)“The Relationship Between Knowledge And The Use Of Nutrition Information On Food Package,” Acta Alimentaria, vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 36–44, 2016.  Jennifer A. Woo Baidal, Lindsey M. Locks, Erika R. Cheng, Tiffany L. Blake-Lamb, Meghan E. Perkins, and Elsie M. Taveras, “Risk Factors for Childhood Obesity in the First 1,000 Days,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2016.  Read More