Health Disparities of Adult Obesity in Black Women

Part 2: Social Media Campaign

B. Community health nursing diagnosis statement.

Social media campaign strategies for reducing disparities in adult obesity rates among black women as evidenced by the statistics on obesity disparities within black women in the United States 

1. How the health concern from your community health nursing diagnostic statement is linked to a health inequity or health disparity within the target population.

The United States faces an unprecedented challenge of obesity within the adult population. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011) reports that the prevalence rate of adult obesity among black women is highest within all ethnic groups.  Additional research by Agyemang and Powell-Wiley (2013) revealed that black women in the US are more prone to developing obesity as compared to other ethnic groups. For instance, black women have a 70% higher chance of developing obesity as compared to Non-Hispanic White women (Agyemang & Powell-Wiley, 2013). 

Statistics have also revealed that 60% of black women in the US are obese according to BMI readings, and these findings are higher than the national average. Moreover, this population is predisposed to obesity-related health challenges such as cancer, type-2 diabetes, heart disease and other conditions that may lead to premature and preventable deaths (Deng et al., 2016).  It is therefore imperative to use creative ways such as social media campaigns, to educate vulnerable black women on the inherent risks they face from obesity, and the possible factors that increase their risk of obesity, with the aim of inspiring lifestyle changes that can reduce preventable deaths from the condition.  

a. The primary community resources and primary prevention resources currently in place to address the health concern.

According to Blackburn and Walker (2005), there are various programs that are being implemented in the US to reduce the prevalence rate of obesity. These programs focus on increasing awareness of the dangers of obesity, encouraging at-risk or affected populations to seek healthcare interventions and implementing awareness campaigns (Blackburn & Walker, 2005).  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018), one of the primary resources is the CDC guide to strategies to increase physical activity in the community.  This is a program that is disseminated to policymakers and managers on how to incorporate physical activity in everyday life. 

Another resource is the Early Care and Education Strategy which is a framework for preventing obesity that is disseminated to early education and child care facilities to recommend the best practices that they should integrate to prevent obesity in children.  The third resource is the school health guidelines such as the School Health Guidelines to Promote Healthy eating and Physical Activity (CDC, 2018). This program is integrated into the education system to guide schools to develop healthy foods their students and promote physical activity. 

b. The underlying causes of the health concern.

There are various causes of the disparities in obesity rates for black women in the US. According to Agyemang and Powell-Wiley (2013), one of the possible causes is genetics, and blacks have a genetic heritable trait that is associated with obesity. These genetic traits predisposed them to obesity more than females from different ethnicities. Another possible cause is postpartum weight retention, which affects over 40% of black women, according to research (Agyemang & Powell-Wiley, 2013).  Other possible factors that increase obesity risk for black women include psychosocial stress, cultural acceptance of a large body size, and low socio-economic background (Agyemang & Powell-Wiley, 2013). 

2. The evidence-based practice associated with the Field Experience topic.

a. Data about the selected Field Experience topic from the local (e.g., county), state, and/or national level.

Research by Agyemang and Powell-Wiley (2013) concluded that black women are more vulnerable to the metabolic effects of visceral adipose tissues, and consequently a lower level of adiponectin, as compared to white women. Another research on black and white women revealed that black women have a lower adiponectin level after controlling the research for central adiposity (Agyemang and Powell-Wiley, 2013). The genetic link in vulnerability to obesity by black women is a central cause of concern and it may explain the obesity disparity facing this population. It is important to design a community health intervention that will target black women and educate them on lifestyle changes they should implement to reduce their risk of obesity.

C. Community health nursing social media campaign strategy that will convey the health message and address the Field Experience topic

1. Social media campaign objectives.

The objective of the social media campaign is to increase awareness within vulnerable black women in the US on the dangers of obesity. The campaign will also educate the women on risk factors that predispose them more to obesity as compared to other ethnic groups, with the goal of enhancing awareness on the preventive and corrective measures they should implement to either prevent or address obesity. 

2. Two population-focused social marketing interventions and how each would improve the health message related to the selected Field Experience topic.

The first social marketing intervention would be a promotional campaign that utilizes short and educative videos targeting black women in the social media with information on obesity, including its risk factors, causes, effects and preventive efforts. This intervention will educate black women on the importance of behavioral changes such as a proper diet and exercise. The second intervention is a social media advertisement providing information on obesity treatment centers that are nearest to the target population. This campaign will enable black women who are battling obesity to seek medical help that is needed to overcome the condition. 

3. Social media platform I would use that is appropriate for communicating with the target population.

The social media platform that is effective in communicating the message to the target population is Facebook. This is because millions of black women have access to Facebook, which is the most popular social media site globally. Moreover, Facebook allows users to post advertisements and video campaigns, which is consistent with the goals of the social media campaign. 

a. The benefits of the selected social media platform in supporting preventative healthcare.

The first benefit is that Facebook is the largest social media website globally, which means that a large proportion of black women will be able to access the campaign against obesity. The second benefit is that the platform allows users to post videos, images and messages, which will facilitate the spread of the anti-obesity message to the target audience. 

4. Discuss how the target population will benefit from your health message.

The target population will benefit in two ways. The first is that it will access information on obesity, its risk factors, causes, effects and preventive measures. Through accessing this information, black women will first understand why they are at higher risk of obesity as compared to the ordinary population.  Moreover, they will access knowledge in preventing obesity, and this will inspire positive lifestyle choices. The second is that the campaign will provide information on treatment interventions and centers for black women with obesity, and this will be integral in increasing access to healthcare services for the obese people, thus reducing their mortality rates. 

D. Best practices for implementing social media tools for health marketing.

In implementing health marketing using social media tools, one of the best practices is telling a story. Creating a story that focuses on the health issue of concern will likely appeal to the target audience and enable the target population to remember the core message. Another best practice is having a plan and trusting the marketing team. Plans increase the effectiveness of the health marketing strategy by ensuring that team members are aware of their roles and resources are availed for use in health marketing (Evans, 2006). Moreover, one should trust the team members and incorporate their feedback and suggestions when implementing the social media health marketing strategy.  

E. Create a social media campaign implementation plan by doing the following:

1. Stakeholder roles and responsibilities in implementing the plan.

The first stakeholder will be the design team, and they will be tasked with designing a social media campaign that encompasses videos, images and texts that communicate the vulnerability of black women to obesity, and the dangers they face. The second stakeholder is the marketing team which will be tasked with creating awareness about the campaign. The third stakeholder is the healthcare organizations that will partner with us in mobilizing resources needed for the campaign, including financial resources and healthcare services for obese adults. The fourth stakeholder is the target audience which is expected to consume the message and implement behavioral change. 

2. Potential public and private partnerships that could be formed to aid in the implementation of your campaign.

The campaign will attract support from like-minded groups in the public and private sector which are interested in advocating for obesity awareness. For instance, business organizations can be involved in the campaign where they can dedicate their social media pages and company websites towards marketing the event.  Government healthcare organizations can also be involved in providing data that will be used in the campaign. This includes data on obesity prevalence in black women, evidence-based practices on preventing and managing obesity, and information on government resources that are available to help at-risk populations such as the black women targeted by the campaign. Government and non-government healthcare institutions can also partner with the campaign to provide free or subsidized care for obese women who will seek treatment following the campaign. 

3. Create a specific timeline for implementing your campaign.

The campaign will be implemented in 4 months. The first month will involve mobilizing stakeholders and resources needed for the campaign. The second month will entail developing a plan for the campaign and allocating responsibilities to all stakeholders that are involved. The third month will be the implementation of the campaign, and it will run for 30 days.  The fourth month will involve assessment of the success of the campaign and decision making on whether a new campaign should be created. 

4. How I will evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign.

At the end of the campaign, we will issue online questionnaires to my target population seeking feedback on various issues relating to the campaign. These include the message that the population understood from the campaign and whether it influenced them to change their lifestyle. Based on evaluation of feedback received, it will be possible to determine whether it was successful or not. 

5. The costs of implementing my campaign.

The major costs will be paying the design and marketing team. Although we will seek people who identify with the cause to volunteer and support the campaign, budget of $2,000 will be set aside for any expenses that are needed for the campaign to be successful. 

F. Reflect on how social media marketing supports the community health nurse’s efforts to promote healthier populations.

1. Reflect on how your social media campaign could apply to your future nursing practice.

Social media is a useful tool in promoting healthier populations since it s cheap and easily accessible to many people targeted by health campaigns. The message can be easily shared on the social media platform to reach a large population. Nurses can therefore use it to promote healthier populations by educating the masses on various health issues that affect them. Moreover, I will use my experience in creating a social media campaign to advocate for social and health issues in future so that I can mobilize nurses and the general population to support causes I identify with. 

References

Agyemang, P., & Powell-Wiley, T. M. (2013). Obesity and Black Women: 

Considerations Related to Genesis and Therapeutic Approaches. Current cardiovascular risk reports, 7(5), 378–386. doi:10.1007/s12170-013-0328-7 

Blackburn, G. L. &, Walker, W.  (2005). “Science-based solutions to obesity: what are the 

roles of academia, government, industry, and health care?”. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 82 (Suppl 1): 207S–210S. doi:10.1093/ajcn/82.1.207S. PMID 16002821

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Fact Sheet: Health Disparities in 

Obesity. Retrieved from 

https://www.cdc.gov/minorityhealth/chdir/2011/factsheets/obesity.pdfhttps://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Prevention strategies and guidelines 

Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/resources/strategies-guidelines.html

Deng. T, Lyon, C. J., Bergin, S., Caligiuri, M. A. & Hsueh, W. A. (2016). “Obesity, 

Inflammation, and Cancer”. Annual Review of Pathology. 11 (1): 421–49. doi:10.1146/annurev-pathol-012615-044359. PMID 27193454 

Evans, W. D. (2006). “How social marketing works in health care”. BMJ (Clinical research 

ed.), 332(7551), 1207–1210. doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7551.1207-a