Population Health Change - Research Paper Example

? Population Health Change Introduction Social change programs are programs that are aimed at transforming people’s attitudes, way of life and behaviors from risky practices to safe practices that are of benefit to both the individual and the society as a whole. Social change is a long process and one that requires a careful and well planned approach to succeed (bloomfield, 2006). Without proper planning and thinking about the cause of the problem, the social change program is bound to fail. Therefore the population or the community that is targeted should have a problem that has already been identified and one that needs interventions so that these are tailor made to address the problem ( Figueroa, 2002). Identification of the Target group In this case the problem identified in the population is obesity which refers to a medical condition in which there is excess accumulation of body fats in the body to the extent that it has adverse effects on the health of an individual resulting in reduced life expectancy and increased health problems. The scenario here is that in the population we have two different groups of people, the people who operate the cafeteria and the residents. The residents consume food from the cafeteria that causes the obesity. This change program will focus on the residents because of a number of reasons. The first reason is that if the change was directed on the cafeteria workers, the people will still look for that food because they are used to consuming that diet. Secondly for a lasting change to occur the residents must change their eating habits and this will also cause the cafeteria management to change their menu (Barr, 2007; Swinburn, 2004). The argument here is that it is important that the residents realize the effects of the poor diet on them and change their eating habits. If the cafeteria workers changed the diet without telling the people, someone else will see the gap in terms of a business opportunity and will set up a cafeteria that will provide the residents with the food they are missing. If the people change it will force the cafeteria to change the diet and this will help others who have not yet began consuming the food products from the cafeteria. They might get supplies from outside to satisfy their needs (Barr, 2007) Dietary changes/modification There are a variety of strategies used for reducing obesity and these strategies vary depending on certain demographic factors within the target group. Some of the strategies that are very appropriate for this population are dietary changes and physical activity. Dietary changes involve the improvement of diet quality through the reduction in consumption of energy dense foods especially those that are high in fats and sugars and increase the intake of foods that are high in dietary fiber. In physical activity the individuals are encouraged to maintain a healthy body through planned body exercises that are regular and follow a specific pattern. These two strategies are most important in solving obesity and if followed well will lead to success of the change program (NHLBI, 2000; Schroeder, 2007). It is important to realize this is a residential center and this kind of place is usually for people who are older and cannot live on their own. Such people have low mobility levels and therefore cannot move from place to place. The best strategy for this group would dietary changes. This is because of a number of reasons. The first reason is that this group has low mobility levels and therefore engaging them in physical activities on a daily basis will not be welcomed by them. Secondly the age group of these people does not allow them to engage in physical activities such as running, they may walk for a short distance but this will burn fewer calories and therefore the change may take a very long time to occur and people usually do not like this and will end up stopping the activity before they actually reduce their body weight (NHLBI, 2000). The dietary plan changes will involve a five day plan in which the residents will be given meals that have nutritional value as opposed to the current meals they take. Nutrition is an important aspect of any individual and especially the older adults. Giving them a healthy diet will ensure that they maintain a healthy lifestyle that will have a positive impact on their health and in the long run reduce the obesity. This change is necessary to be able to reduce the risk that the residents are facing such as the risk of developing hypertension, coronary artery disease and diabetes ( Nestle, 2000). The effect of this change strategy on the people may not be immediate but through a sustained effort and compliance to the dietary plan the residents will appreciate the end result. It is expected that by modifying the diet at the geriatric residential center, residents will start receiving a diet that is nutritional and one that will lead to positive results. The dietary changes will reduce the body mass of the residents consequently reducing obesity. The healthier side of it is that the resident will not be worried of developing old age complications such as the ones mentioned above ( Nestle, 2000). Change approaches/strategies It is expected that people will always resist change no matter the positive or the negative impacts it will have on them. It is human nature to do so and therefore they must be given reasons as to why the change is necessary and motivated to adopt the change (Nicklos, 2010). People resist change because of different reasons and this may include interruption of existing relationships, uncertainty, the need to maintain status quo among others. Therefore anyone that is thinking of introducing certain changes in any population be it in patients or in the work place must be ready for resistance. This calls for strategies that centered on the people and which will be appreciated by them in order to get them to change their behaviors (Nicklos, 2010; Dalbey, 2008). The best strategy to use in introducing change is the participatory approach. In this approach or strategy the people are engaged in dialogue to find out their views about a given problem. They are then told of the consequences of engaging in a given behavior and asked to propose ways in which they can help solve the problem. This approach mainly considers dialogue as a means of communicating with the population (Castelloe, 2002). Residents will be engaged in dialogue. In this approach the people are not fed with information rather they are engaged on a one on one chat with the change proposers. They will for example explain why they are taking the hot dogs and other foods that contribute to them being obese. On the other side the proposers will tell them the effects of these foods. They will then ask them what they think is the best way to help them change the lifestyle. Given that they may not be aware of the different methods of combatting obesity, the proposers will give them this information and ask them what they feel is the most appropriate strategy for them to follow. The people are generally motivated but encouraged to come up with their own solutions to address the problem. The advantage of this approach is that people get to own the solution to the problem. They will appreciate the change as they will have contributed to it (Castelloe, 2002; Dalbey, 2008). Another strategy that could be used in this case is the behavior change approach. This approach mainly focuses on providing information to the residents that is one way communication but the resident are do not engage in a one to one session with the change proposers. They are not given a chance to select what approach best suits them and therefore the information is one way (Riemsma, 2002). This could be done in form of information booklets that describe the problem in this case obesity and the effects of it on an individual. It will then provide the approach that is proposed such as dietary changes. This approach could also be done through educators that come to speak to the people about the problem and present them with the most appropriate strategy to solve the problem. This approach mainly focuses on education and motivation to encourage people to change their behavior (GHPWG, 2008). Advantages and disadvantages of the expected change The change has many advantages that it will bring to the residents. The firs advantage is that they will be able to live healthier lives without the fear of risks such as hypertension, diabetes and coronary artery disease. Secondly the residents will be able to impact the lives of other members of their families as they will have information and can advise them on how to live healthy. The last advantage is that the residents will spread the good news to the workers at the center and this may lead to changes in the menu at the cafeteria. The disadvantage of the change is that it will affect the business at the cafeteria as they will have to redesign their menu again and include other meals. This may involve other costs to the cafeteria which they may not be ready to implement. The proposed plan will have good outcomes as it will lead to positive behavior change and a better life for the residents. Conclusion In conclusion changing the behaviors and attitudes of people is a difficult task especially when dealing with older people. There are very many approaches to dealing with change especially social change but selecting the best approach to deal with a given situation is not an easy task. People need to be involved in coming up with solutions to their problems and not just imposing ideas on them. The nurse’s role should be that of educating, encouraging and motivating patients in order to adopt better ways of living (Dalbey, 2008). References Barr DA. (2007), A research protocol to evaluate the effectiveness of public - Private partnerships as a means to improve health and welfare systems worldwide, American Journal of Public Health; 97(1):19-25 bloomfield, B. S. (2006, September). Introduction: Approaching social Change. Retrieved October 6, 2011, from Research center for Constructive conflict management: http://www.berghof-handbook.net/documents/publications/dialogue5_sochange_intro.pdf Dalbey M. (2008), Implementing smart growth strategies in rural America: development patterns that support public health goals. J Public Health Manag Pract ;14(3):238-43 GHPWG. (2008, August). Behaviour Change and HIV Prevention: (Re) Considerations for the 21st century. Retrieved October 6, 2011, from Global HIV Prevention Organization: http://www.globalhivprevention.org/pdfs/PWG_behavior%20report_FINAL.pdf Maria Elena Figueroa, D. L. (2002). Communication for Social change working paper series. Retrieved October 6, 2011, from The Rockfeller Foundation: http://www.communicationforsocialchange.org/pdf/socialchange.pdf Marion Nestle, M. F. (2000, February). Halting the Obesity Epidemic:A public Health Policy Approach. Retrieved October 6, 2011, from CSPINET Organization: http://www.cspinet.org/reports/obesity.pdf NHLBI. (2000, October). Obesity the Practical Guide: identification, evaluation and Treatmentof Overweight and Obesity in adults. Retrieved October 6, 2011, from NHLBI Obesity Education Initiative: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/prctgd_c.pdf Nicklos, F. (2010, May 11). Four Change Management strategies. Retrieved October 6, 2011, from Distance Consulting LLC: http://www.nickols.us/four_strategies.pdf Paul Castelloe, T. w. (2002). Participatory Change: An integrative Approach to Community Practice. Journal of Community Practice, 7-32. RP Riemsma, J. P. (2002, October). A systematic review of the effectiveness based on a stage-of-change to promote individual behavior change. 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