Letter to California Senate Assembly

¶ … letter to California Senate Assembly in support of Assembly Bill 290, which is related to child day care. This piece of legislation would help in incorporating mandatory childhood nutrition training for directors or teachers of health and safety training to enhance the current preventive health practices course. Based on my experiences in clinical duties and current statistics, the obesity rate in the United States has increased tremendously, especially California. Therefore, having good nutrition is important, particularly for children through providing childhood nutrition training.

California

California State Senate

112 Hart Senate Office Building

Washington DC 20510

Dear California State Senate:

My name is ____ and I am a student nurse at ____. Since my current clinical rotation is known as "Community," I am involved in several clinical duties including going out the community like public school and homeless shelter. During my visit to the community, I work with the local public health department and partner with private agency on issues like disease, nutrition, and health. I am writing in support of Assembly Bill 290 that focuses on childhood nutrition training under child day care. The main goal of California Assembly Bill (AB 290) is to ensure that teachers or directors who obtain health and safety training undergo a compulsory childhood nutrition training of at least one hour. These professionals will undergo the training as part of preventive health practices course and in order to receive licenses.

Generally, the rate of obesity in the United States has remained relatively high though it has declined in the recent past. Despite of the decline, California State is still characterized with high rates of obesity, especially among children. According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, childhood obesity rates in the state of California remain perilously high regardless of the slight decline in recent years.

These high rates of childhood obesity in California State continue to threaten the long-term health of children in the entire region as reported in 2011.

In 2011, the state experienced a 1.1% decline from the past five years to an extent where 38% of children in the entire state were overweight or obese. Los Angeles County was the region with the highest childhood obesity rates in California with 42%, a 2.5% decline. Though the decline in the obesity rates is good and encouraging, childhood obesity is still a terrible epidemic with significant negative effects on children and young people. While the slight improvement demonstrates positive results in efforts taken to fight California's childhood obesity, the issue remains a major problem that continues to affect California's physical and financial health.

The prevalence of this issue is evident in the fact that the state spends over $21 billion in public and private money on healthcare issues, particularly obesity. Actually, the high expenditure is attributed to the link between obesity and other health issues such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Based on the report by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, the recent statistics provide encouraging news though there several areas that need improvement in California State.

As childhood obesity rates have remained alarmingly high in California, there are several health, safety, and well-being initiatives that have been recommended and implemented to deal with the problem. One of the most important initiatives to help lessen the high rates of childhood obesity is having good nutrition. According to a report by the Journal of the American Medical Association, stricter nutrition standards have been identified as one of the most effective ways to lessen obesity in children, particularly those who obtain subsidized or free lunches in school.

The research demonstrated that states with stricter nutrition standards for children had lower obesity rates, especially for lower-income children who were dependent on school lunch programs. These findings provided stronger evidence that the provision of nutritious and healthier foods to children is associated with lower risks of obesity.

Through its research initiatives, the Food Research and Action Center affirms that federal nutrition programs play a crucial role in lessening obesity by enhancing dietary intake and minimizing food insecurity.

While recognizing that federal nutrition programs do not result in the current obesity crisis in America, the study shows that involvement in these programs play an important role in prevention of obesity. As recommended by Institute of Medicine, the implementation and participation in state nutrition programs is a prevention strategy for childhood obesity. This is particularly because such programs enhance dietary intake, which is essential in dealing with the existing obesity problem.

In light of these recommendations, California Assembly Bill (AB 290) is an example of a state nutrition program that would help in lessening the rates of obesity across the state. This legislation will be crucial in combating childhood obesity in California by necessitating that incoming childcare providers undergo child nutrition training as part of licensing process. Since obesity or overweight problem is a major health challenge for children in the state, California is in need of licensing laws that prioritize childhood nutrition training. Prioritizing nutrition training for providers of child care is not only a necessary but also reasonable mechanism of supporting good nutrition habits.

In essence, California Assembly Bill (AB 290) will help lessen childhood obesity rates throughout the state by requiring child care providers to obtain information about the significance of healthy meals and snacks, suitable meal patterns and serving sizes, and cost-effective approaches. Therefore, I support the legislation because it will help to improve the quality of care for children, which is the main reason for the support it has received from early care and education stakeholders.