04 Aug compare and contrast the various ecological models

Part A: (150 words)

The following excerpt is from a 2009 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report and is highlighted on page 161 of your textbook:

Approximately two-thirds of U.S. adults and one-fifth of U.S. children are obese or over-weight. Being either obese or overweight increases the risk of many chronic diseases (e.g., heart disease, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and stroke). Reversing the U.S. obesity epidemic requires a comprehensive and coordinated approach that uses policy and environmental change to transform communities into places that support and promote healthy lifestyle choices for all U.S. residents. Environmental factors (including lack of access to full-service grocery stores, increasing costs of healthy foods and the lower cost of unhealthy foods, and lack of access to safe places to play and exercise) all contribute to the increase in obesity rates by inhibiting or preventing healthy eating and active living behaviors (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009).

Describe how the medical model approaches obesity at an individual level through medical intervention and how this approach may miss the underlying cause or many influences that may lead to obesity. The ecological approach, unlike the medical approach, avoids blaming the person and emphasizes the complexity of certain health behaviors. Focus on one aspect of the obesity epidemic and juxtapose a medical approach with ecological and structural approaches to address the obesity epidemic. (M8.3)

Part B: 1 page 12ft single spaced

Compose an essay with the elements listed below using information from the lectures and Chapter 9 in the textbook and examples from “Unnatural Causes” that provides an explanation to the following prompts:

Describe the application of ecological thinking to a health problem or behavior using one or more examples from the lecture, textbook and/or “Unnatural Causes”. Include the basic considerations of ecological models of health and behavior (M8.1)

Using the example(s) from part (a), compare and contrast the various ecological models. (M8.2)

1. Conclude your essay by comparing and contrasting ecological approaches, multi-level approaches, and structural-level approaches to health promotion for improving public health based on your example selected in part (a). (M8.3)