Emerging Global Health Challenges- Identifying Factors and Crafting Solutions

Emerging Global Health Challenges- Identifying Factors and Crafting Solutions

Early Childhood Educators have extensive experience teaching young children about shapes, colors, letters, and numbers. After all, these are the foundations upon which they will build future knowledge. While these are essential skills for our young children to learn and are taught in the classroom, early childhood educators also teach our youngest learners how to be healthy.

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You might see a preschool teacher teaching her students how to cough like vampires or a teacher singing the ABCs while his students wash their hands. You can also observe students preparing a healthy meal with their teachers as guides or practicing yoga to improve their fitness in a preschool classroom. These activities are health and nutrition foundations that will establish healthy behaviors in our young learners, hopefully serving as a foundation for continued healthy behavior as they grow.

Unfortunately, research has revealed that many preschool-aged children are overweight or obese, which may lead to obesity later in life (Buckley, 1998). Furthermore, young children receive adequate nutrition but do not meet dietary guidelines for their age group (Buckley, 1998). I believe early educators can lay the groundwork for children to develop healthy habits by planning activities that teach children about food, health, and exercise. To educate young learners about health and nutrition, I have designed five activities addressing various aspects of food.

1st Activity

Children are born with the ability to move their bodies. They enjoy running, jumping, riding bikes, skipping, and discovering new body movement methods. My first planned Activity was a fitness and exercise activity. Although children should have plenty of designated playtime where they can move however they want, I believe planning a dedicated fitness activity is essential. This Activity will teach young children how their bodies move and function when they exercise. Furthermore, this Activity helps children recognize that they are exercising and allows them to see exercise as something fun.

This activity is divided into two parts. First, I will read ‘The Busy Body Book: A Kid’s Guide to Fitness’ by Lizzy Rockwell. This book teaches children how to exercise and how exercise benefits their bodies. I’ll ask the kids to name the activities they read about as we read. The class will then play a Roll & Move dice game in which they will roll a large die and have a chance to roll the dice, and the entire class will participate. This activity is based on a resource developed by Jamie White.

This Activity addresses NAEYC Standards for Teacher Preparation standards 1c, 4c, and 5a. I need to understand preschoolers’ physical movements to design a lesson plan that benefits them and their health. This Activity also makes use of a variety of different materials to ensure that learning occurs. Finally, understanding the significance of physical activity was required to develop this lesson plan.

2nd Activity

Children are natural explorers. I believe that giving children hands-on learning experiences helps them thrive and learn. That is why I wanted children to be able to plant and cultivate an herb garden for this Activity. Recent research has found that gardening-based nutrition education programs can increase preschoolers’ intake of fruits and vegetables (Buckley, 1998).

Children can explore different herbs using their senses in this Activity. They will also be able to plant their herbs and watch them grow. Children will have the opportunity to get their hands dirty as they produce their seeds, and they will be able to observe the plant’s life cycle as they water their roots daily. We will continue to explore their herbs using our five senses after they have grown. The students can taste their herbs because we will use their plants in a cooking activity that calls for the herbs they have chosen to grow.

3rd Activity

I like to plan activities that cover more than one skill. This MyPlate sorting activity helps children practice early math skills while identifying foods belonging to different food groups. This activity is straightforward, but I believe it can significantly impact the students. This Activity teaches students about the various foods that should be on their plates. I also hope this Activity will encourage students to be more conscious of their eating.

4th Activity

Cooking activities are another excellent and enjoyable hands-on method of teaching children about nutrition. Children enjoy exploring food through cooking; when they are allowed to try cooking, it is truly a novelty. Cooking activities are also an excellent way to encourage students to use all five senses. They can see, touch, taste, and smell their food. They can also use their hearing to listen to and follow recipe instructions.

We will begin this Activity by reading Dr. Jonathan Terry’s book ‘Eat the Rainbow,’ which teaches children the importance of eating various fruits and vegetables in multiple colors. After reading the book, students will create a rainbow of foods to enjoy during snack time. When engaging in cooking activities, teachers must be mindful of the foods they are using and the children’s allergies, if any. If children are allergic to certain foods, it is critical to have alternatives available so that every child can participate in the Activity.

While this Activity touches on many NAEYC Standards for teacher preparation, I believe it is most aligned with Standard 4c. Preschoolers are frequently not permitted to assist in the cooking or Preparing food; however, allowing children to prepare food is an essential part of child development. Children have the opportunity to practice a variety of skills while preparing food. They develop math and literacy skills by “reading” the recipe and separating the necessary ingredients. They are practicing their fine motor skills as they assemble their rainbow.

5th Activity

The last activity that I designed is significant to me. Living in Hawaii is an unforgettable experience. Throughout all grade levels, Hawaiian culture dictates and guides learning activities. I wanted to create a lesson that was both culturally significant and taught about nutrition for my final Activity. I believe that culture is essential to any class, especially when teaching nutrition. Because the majority of my students identify as Hawaiian or were raised in the Hawaiian culture, I wanted to be able to teach them in a culturally appropriate manner that would deepen their understanding of their culture and nutrition.

For this Activity, I will teach about where our food comes from by discussing the ancient Hawaiian ahupua’a (community living) system. Food came from either the land or the sea in old Hawaii. While much of our food is now raised on farms, it still comes from the same place—either land or sea. Furthermore, the foods discussed in this Activity are foods my students eat or see regularly. This Activity allows children to pretend they live in an ahupua’a system and grow, raise, or fish for their food. This dramatic play center will teach children that the fish they eat comes from the sea, whereas the pig or poi (taro) they eat comes from the land.

This Activity most closely aligns with NAEYC Standard 2a, which is about knowing and understanding diverse family and community characteristics. Because I teach Hawaiian students in Hawaii, I thought including an activity specific to Hawaiian culture was critical. Unfortunately, many of Hawai’i’s young children are overweight or obese, with up to 39% of kindergarten-age children in Hawaii classified as such (Buckley, 1998). This Activity focuses on Hawaiian culture and things my students are familiar with, which will help them understand the Activity better.

Conclusion

Although early educators may not be able to eliminate childhood obesity overnight, I believe that teaching about good nutrition provides students with a solid foundation to build and develop healthy choices. Children must first understand their options to make healthy choices, which I believe these activities teach. Of course, the key to children developing healthy lifestyles is parental education and a change in overall lifestyle. However, if we teach our students to be healthy at school, we can hope their good habits will carry over into their personal lives.

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References

Esquivel, M., Nigg, C. R., Falkowski, M. K., Braun, K. L., Li, F., & Novotny, R. (2016, February). Head Start Wellness Policy Intervention in Hawaii: A Project of the Children’s Healthy Living Program. Childhood Obesity, 12(1), 26–32.

Marotz, L. R. (2015). Health, Safety, and Nutrition for the Young Child. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2010). 2010 NAEYC Standards for Initial & Advanced Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Sharma, S. V., Hedberg, A., Skala, K. A., Chuang, R.-J., & Lewis, T. (2015). Feasibility and acceptability of a gardening-based nutrition education program in preschoolers from low-income, minority populations. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 13(1), 93-110.

Teslariu, O., Oltean, C., Gavriluta, L. A., Iliescu, M. L., & Anton-Paduraru, D.-T. (2016). Obesity in Preschool Children. Romanian Journal of Pediatrics, 51-55.

Williams, P. A., Cates, S. C., Blitstein, J. L., Hersey, J., Gabor, V., Ball, M., . . . Singh, A. (2014). Nutrition-Education Program Improves Preschoolers’ At-Home Diet: A Group Randomized Trial. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 1001-1008.

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In this assessment, you will test your knowledge globally by assessing an emerging global health issue. You will address factors exacerbating the problem and develop an improvement plan. You will also create a wellness teaching program.

Part 1: Doctors Without Borders Presentation

Imagine you are a nurse working with Doctors Without Borders to address an emerging global health issue in a specific region. You are preparing to travel to the area to improve a problem or illness. Your director has requested that you prepare a presentation about the topic or condition for your fellow staff.

Choose a specific emerging health issue within a particular country (i.e., sex trafficking in US states bordering Mexico).

Create an 18- to 20-slide presentation, with detailed speaker notes, analyzing emerging global health issues related to the country or region of the world of your choice.

Include a summary of the chosen country and emerging health issues that impact the populations.

Summarize your chosen emerging health issue and explain how and why this issue impacts populations within your desired country.

Analyze the cause of the issue or illness in your presentation.

Consider:

• Individual issues (e.g., personal hygiene)
• Community (e.g., resources, demographics)
• Family roles and structures (e.g., single-family households)
• Culture (e.g., values, beliefs)
• Environmental issues (e.g., access to technology and health care, geographic concerns)

Examine the factors that continue to exacerbate the issue or illness.

Consider:

• Individual
• Community
• Cultural
• Environmental

Create an action plan to improve the issue or illness.

Consider:

• Education
• Communication
• Relief workers
• Technology

Cite at least five peer-reviewed references in your presentation.

Include a separate APA-formatted reference slide.

Note: The slides should contain only essential information and as little text as possible. Do not design a slide presentation made up of long bullet points. Your speaker notes convey the details you would give if you were presenting. See the Create Speaker Notes video from Microsoft for more help.

Part 2: Wellness Teaching Project

Step 1: Select a group from your local community that would benefit from a wellness teaching project. This group might include the following:

• Remote family members
• The group that meets regularly at a local gym or YMCA
• The group meets at a local park regularly, such as a yoga or tai chi class
• The group that meets at a local church regularly

Follow the steps in the Wellness Teaching Project document for this assignment.

Complete the Wellness Teaching Project document’s Confirmed Participant Needs Assessment (Phase A1).

Step 2: Complete the Group Identification Table (Phase A2) in the Wellness Teaching Project document for your selected group.

Step 3: Conduct a needs assessment of the selected group regarding wellness issues.

• Use the Preliminary Planning and Confirmed Participant Needs Assessment table in Phase A1 of the Wellness Teaching Project document for this step.
• Utilize the appropriate wellness theory in the needs assessment.
• Assess the learning styles of the selected population.

Step 4: Identify three different health promotion topics and objectives for this group.

• Select one health promotion topic from the Healthy People 2030 link in Phase B of the Wellness Teaching Project document, another case from the Let’s Get Healthy California link, and a third topic from either of the links above.
• For each of the three topics, list its goal and one specific objective and target (copy and paste verbatim from the indicated website).
• Add the reference for each objective to your Reference page at the end of the Wellness Teaching Plan document.

Step 5: State how you would perform the Group Needs Assessment in Phase C of the Wellness Teaching Project document.

• Name the Needs Assessment Tool or Approach and how you will use it.

Step 6: Identify the Wellness Teaching Topic in Phase C of the Wellness Teaching Project document.

Step 7: Complete the Population Nursing Diagnosis for Phase C of the Wellness Teaching Project document.

Step 8: Evaluate the group’s initial Situation and Sense of Coherence by scoring their readiness to change health behavior in Phase C of the Wellness Teaching Project document.

Step 9: Complete the Brochure Selection Phase D1 of the Wellness Teaching Project document.

Step 10: Complete the Brochure Evaluation Section Phase D2 of the Wellness Teaching Project document.

Step 11: Complete the Lesson Plan Teaching Methods Phase E1 of the Wellness Teaching Project document.

• Complete the Learning Strategies Tables, as listed in Phase E1.

Step 12: Complete the Lesson Plan Learning Objectives in Phase E2 of the Wellness Teaching Project document.

• Develop 2 SMART behavioral learning objectives for your group.
• State which wellness theory or model you would use to guide your teaching.

Step 13: Develop the Lesson Plan for the selected Wellness Teaching Project topic in Phase E3 of the Wellness Teaching Project document.

• Create the lesson title.
• Incorporate appropriate learning styles for the selected population.
• Determine how you would pre-test the message and materials.
• Determine the supplies and materials you need to prepare and how you would distribute these to participants.
• Complete the Lesson Plan table in the Wellness Teaching Project document in Phase E3.
• Develop an appropriate assessment to gauge learning outcomes achieved with the population.

Step 14: Prepare a Group Evaluation Follow-Up Lesson Plan per Phase F1 of the Wellness Teaching Project document.

Submit Parts 1 and 2 of your assessment.