Exercise 1.5 The relationship between obesity and cancer is described and discussed in this chapter. Conduct a search to answer the following questions. The incidence rates for six cancers associated with obesity are increasing in young Americans. Identify them. What is the prevalence rate of obesity in people younger than 18 in your state?  Which children are at highest risk for obesity in your state? Are there any prevention programs in your state that address this issue? Are they effective? Has your state passed and enacted any laws designed to decrease obesity? Are they effective? If they are not effective, explain why you believe they are not working.

                Obesity is associated with the increased risk of six different cancers, including esophageal, pancreatic, colon and rectal, breast (after menopause), endometrial, kidney, thyroid, and gallbladder (Curley & Vitale, 2011). The most recent scholarly research showed that children in the state of Florida ages 2 to 4 ranked 41st  for obesity and 37th for ages 15 to 19. Additionally, Florida is ranked 4th when combining overweight and obesity for ages 10 to 17. The highest prevalence or risk for obesity were shown in rural areas and in non-Hispanic children that were of multiple races (Lemas et al., 2018).

                The state of Florida has several prevention programs in place to address childhood obesity. Programs such as Healthiest Weight Florida utilize Evidence-based interventions at the state and local levels to implement policy, systems, and environmental interventions that improve access to healthy foods and increase opportunities for physical activity. Another known program, Florida's HEROs Early Care and Education Center Recognition Program, focuses on promoting a healthy weight among children ages 0 to 5 years (Florida’s HEROs – Recognizing Healthy Environments for Reducing Obesity in Florida, n.d.).

                Florida has many statutes in place to reduce and prevent obesity. Florida Statute 381 requires the Florida Department of Health to promote healthy lifestyles to reduce obesity. This includes programs such as physical activity and nutrition, research, and partnering with schools. It also requires school health services programs to screen students for growth and development, including BMI (Child Policy Research Center & Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative, n.d.). I do believe these programs have a positive effect on obesity overall. However, the trends for obesity in Florida continue to rise. I believe continued diligence and additional partnerships will bring positive results over time.

Reference:

Child Policy Research Center & Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. (n.d.). Childhood Obesity Action

          Network. In Childhood Obesity Action Network. https://www.childhealthdata.org/docs/nsch-Links to an external site.

          docs/florida04_23_508-pdf.pdf

Curley, A. L. C., & Vitale, P. A. (2011). Population-Based Nursing: Concepts and Competencies for Advanced Practice.

          https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BB17395050

Florida’s HEROs – Recognizing Healthy Environments For Reducing Obesity in Florida. (n.d.). https://eces4healthykids.org/

Lemas, D. J., Cardel, M. I., Filipp, S. L., Hall, J., Essner, R. Z., Smith, S. R., Nadglowski, J., Donahoo, W. T., Cooper-

          DeHoff, R. M., Nelson, D. R., Hogan, W. R., Shenkman, E. A., Gurka, M. J., & Janicke, D. M. (2018). Objectively

          measured pediatric obesity prevalence using the OneFlorida Clinical Research Consortium. Obesity Research &

          Clinical Practice, 13(1), 12–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orcp.2018.10.002Links to an external site.