Partnership Between the Private Health Sector and the Government - Paper Example

One viable methodology that can be exploited to gain improvement is a partnership between the private health sector and the government, which will come up with initiatives to combat child obesity. According to Obesity Society (2015), 90% of persons having type 2 Diabetes have are overweight or obese. ICLDC (2016) places UAE as the 13th country worldwide with the highest prevalence of diabetes. UAE trends and numbers suggest that the prevalence of diabetes is rising at a fast pace (ICLDC, 2016). One in five persons in the United Arab Emirates, which represents 19.3% of the population, is likely to suffer from obesity. Over one million people are living with obesity in the UAE. The number is expected to double to 2.2 million people by 2040. The problems is attributed to unhealthy lifestyle and diet (ICLDC, 2016). A series of system oriented and multilevel framework can be proposed to foster a relationship between the public and private sector in the realignment of strategies and mobilization of resources to address childhood obesity. One of the key features of the proposed framework should be to create capacity in both the private and public sector. The proposed framework will bring about a coordinated effort, which is meant to impede the environment, which is a constraint healthy behaviors and diet.

In this paper, I will advocate that private health entities must collaborate with government institutions such as academia and ministry of health to come up with policies based on empirical research on what is the best way possible to combat child obesity. Just like any other relationship, the relationship between private health care providers and the Dubai Health Authority must be built upon commitment, trust, and cooperation. Impediments to the partnerships must be eliminated, and the interests of both parties must be aligned.

Risks and Opportunities in Addressing the Problem

Strengths

Steps in dealing with the problem have seen some strengths that originate from raising awareness of the issue from an official public body. For instance, Dubai Health Authority's smart clinics conduct campaigns to promote awareness about childhood obesity (DHA, 2015). Another strength is seen in Dubai's efforts to fight childhood obesity using healthier menus in schools (DHA, 2015). The Food Safety Department of the Dubai Municipality has recently come up with updated nutritional guidelines that should be used in schools as a way to expose children to healthy food options. The presence of the input from authoritative institutions such as those from Food Safety Department and the Health Authority in the initiative shows proof that efforts are headed in the right direction (Webster, 2017).

Weaknesses

Kuttab (2017) states that exposure of children to luxurious lifestyles where they can purchase what they and need whenever they need is one of the issues that hinder measures placed in combating child obesity. Children spend too much time using electronic gadgets that they have little time for exercise. Additionally, children tend to imitate their parent's behaviors mainly ordering unhealthy fast foods. Another weakness in addressing the problems stems from the fact that physical education classes are not taken seriously in schools. For instance, a teacher may take students out for P.E classes but will leave them to sit down and play their smartphones instead of engaging in physical activity (Tenaiji and Osa 2015, p.2). The occurrence further adds to the phenomenon where children are limited exposure to physical engagement, which is detrimental to their health.

Opportunities

According to Khoori (2015), parents can play a vital role in the prevention of childhood obesity. They can create an environment where they encourage their children to undertake physical activities such as sports. For instance, when a child is young, the parents can encourage them to play outside their homes with other children. They can ride their bicycles or engage in any sporting game. They can also help them to make better food options. Helping them make better food choices is a character that can be ingrained in as a culture which the children will maintain through their teenage year and middle adulthood. Another opportunity that can be used in combating the issue is educating stakeholders in child wellbeing on methods that can be used in combatting child obesity (Rizvi, 2015). Parents, nannies, and teachers can be made aware of child obesity, and how it stands to endanger the lives of the children, as well as the ways, prevent the health issue in children they tasked with responsibility.

Threats

One of the threats to fighting childhood obesity is the difficulty in instilling the importance of fitness in children. As stated earlier, children imitate what their parents do, and since adult obesity is quite prevalent in the UAE, a child might be demotivated to keep fit since their parents also have the condition. It may also be quite unpopular with the children to shift from luxury and less strenuous habits to ones that require a lot of engagement. For instance, it will be difficult to get a child to reduce the use of their handheld devices and television and embrace physical engagement such as walking and playing physical games. Perhaps the reason as to why it is difficult is because walking and playing physical games is less fun than being engaged with their handheld devices and television.

Measures that need to be taken in Addressing Child Obesity

The persons required to solve the problem will be identified using Tuckmans Team Development Model (Wilson, 2010, p.28). The model will also determine the roles and responsibilities played by the teams in dealing with the problems.

Forming

The step involves designing the team. Here stakeholders participating in solving the problem will be identified. Stakeholders are the persons directly involved and have the power to influence prevalence rate of obesity among children. Those at the forefront of the forming process are the UAE Government and Private health Sector. As per the SWOT analysis, the most appropriate stakeholders are parents and educational institutions.

Storming

Since parents, educational institutions and infrastructural planners are quite general to be stakeholders; storming will introduce direct teams to be involved in reducing the prevalence child obesity. The teams will be Parent Teacher Associations of each primary school in Dubai and the Food Safety Department.

Norming

The next stage involves making roles and responsibilities that are clear and accepted. Here the whole team makes big decisions that require brainstorming and consensus while each team member makes smaller decisions at an individual level. Parent Teacher Associations of each primary school in Dubai is required to encourage parents to take the lead over their children eating habits and make their schools take physical education seriously. The Food Safety Department has an obligation to leverage their authority to ensure healthy foods are provided for children.

Performing

The performing stage is a point where each team can work on its role without requiring participation from other stakeholders. For instance, the Food Safety Department is expected to come up with policy based on research on nutrition on which foods should be provided to children while in school. The Parents Teachers Association will be used as a platform that sees parents being educated on healthy eating habits for their children and teachers urged to take P.E courses seriously.

Local Culture of the Organization

The organizational culture of the facility I work for has a startup mindset, safety, growth of revenues, and reduced number of patient revisits with a treated issue. It also has a culture aimed at the growth of patient the numbers and growth of the number of completed projects. The organization prefers its employees to have the mentality of a facility that has recently been operationalized. They will, therefore, do anything to realize growth and seen as a contributor to the positive contributor to the health situation in the city. It also thrives in the culture of safety whereby all initiatives, interventions, and medical operations are conducted regarding the patients safety.

Like any other private entity, the facility places vital importance on the growth of revenues, which is consistent with its desire to expand and open a fully-fledged hospital in the year 2018. The organization aims at having a reduced number of patient revisits, which necessitates the importance of a holistic approach to treatment. It also wants to have the facility see a growth of patient numbers who view the facility as leading provider of health services. Besides, the facility's culture of growth also envisions its successful completion of projects it has started.

How to Influence Peoples Behaviors

The influencing of peoples behavior is a critical component in changing the eating habits of children as well as their attitude towards physical exercises. For this case, the process will use the Influencing Pull and Push Model Nimako and Ntim (2013, p.86). The model uses energy to effect change. According to Nimako and Ntim (2013, p.87), Push behaviors tend to use assertion and persuasion while Pull behaviors use bridging and attracting. Influencing all stakeholder in addressing childhood obesity will require the utilization of both push and pull behaviors.

Push

Push behaviors can be utilized by Food Safety Department. Both departments can assert their authorities since the have jurisdiction over the construction industry and the food offerings at schools. The Food Safety Department can place directives on construction development and primary schools based on policy. For instance, it can be made illegal to offer certain food offerings on school menus of primary schools within Dubai municipality. The only food served at the school must be a part of the updated nutritional offerings. If a school goes against the stipulated policy, its administrators face fines or imprisonment. Another push behavior may be applied on Physical Education course instructors in schools. Schools should also require that the physical education instructors strictly follow physical education curriculum. Instructors who fail to follow and complete the curriculum as required by the school will be disciplined due to disregard of duty.

Pull Behaviors

Pull behaviors can be used to influence parents as well as their children to adopt a healthy lifestyle. The government or any other private entities have no authority to impose directives on parents and children concerning how they should live their lives. Furthermore, they cannot impose sanctions on them for not leading healthy lifestyles. Therefore, the only ways through which behavioral change can be instigated is through collaboration and making them see the initiatives vision. An example of a collaborative initiative through which the parent and children can get involved in is signing up for an obesity run or marathon. The marathon will include children, their peers, and parents and will be meant to raise awareness on the effects of childhood obesity. The event can be used to help them see the vision of the initiative.

How to Motivate People to Adopt the Strategy

Motivating of people to take the approach will use Maslow's theory of motivation and the Barrett Model (McLeod, 2007, p.10). Maslows theory of motivation has five levels. The five levels include psychological needs, safety needs, belonging and love needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization (McLeod, 2007, p.12). Psychological needs include the needs to have food, shelter, warmth, air, and sleep. Safety requirements include the need to have freed...