Running head: DEMONSTRATING EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
DEMONSTRATING EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP:
Student’s Name
Institution
Course Number and Course Name
Instructor’s Name
Month, Year
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Demonstrating Effective Leadership
Obesity is increasingly becoming a serious public health concern that requires proper
attention. It is considered a far much worse public health threat in the USA compared to the
opioid epidemic (Blumenthal & Seervai, 2018). The chronic diseases associated with obesity,
such as high blood pressure, cancer, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and hyperlipidemia,
make it a significant public health threat. A survey conducted by The National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) showcased that around 22 percent of preschool
children are overweight or obese (Rosado, Johnson, McGinnity & Cuevas, 2013). The
percentage is higher for Mexican-American children at around 27 percent nationwide (Rosado,
Johnson, McGinnity & Cuevas, 2013). This number increases when the focus switches to
elementary school children, rising to 35 percent of children nationwide and 41 percent for
Mexican-American children. This creates concern over the rates of obesity in children aged 2 to
11 years. The situation is worse for Hispanic women, with 78 percent being either overweight or
obese (HHS.gov, 2019). Hence, there is a need to address obesity among Hispanic women and
children with a specific focus on Emerald City that has an 85 percent Hispanic population. This
can be done by establishing collaborative relationships to improve food security and lower
obesity rates among Hispanic women and children.
Factors that Lead to Obesity
Generally, the four main causes of obesity can be considered as the foods a person
consumes, lack of exercise, environmental influences, and genetics (ten Hoor, Plasqui, Schols &
Kok, 2017). In light of the situation at Emerald city, the first issue that can lead to obesity is the
lack of food security, considering that 30 percent of families are affected by this issue. This lack
of access to healthy foods may mean that the families have to resort to unhealthy foods, mainly
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processed foods, to meet their daily consumption needs. The high price for fresh foods and low
prices on processed foods also makes it more compelling to settle for processed foods.
Considering that one-third of the population is below the federal poverty line, this means that
majority of the residents in this county cannot afford to fund healthy eating lifestyles.
Additionally, the idea that bigger means healthier is a cultural factor prevalent amongst Hispanic
populations, and it frequently leads to young Hispanic children ending up overweight at very
young ages (Pulgarón, Patiño-Fernández, Sanchez, Carrillo & Delamater, 2013). Most Hispanic
parents believe that being overweight means that the child is the healthiest. Such cultural
practices will see parents encourage their children to eat more and gain weight because seeing
their children grow big is a pride to them despite the health disadvantages. Another issue is the
lack of outdoor physical activities that both the women and children can engage in because of the
county's insecurity issues. Lack of physical activity is a major concern because one has no way
of initiating caloric restriction, especially when excess eating is involved (ten Hoor, Plasqui,
Schols & Kok, 2017).
Interprofessional Coalition Team to Help Mitigate Obesity
A coalition team is needed to address the obesity issue among women and children in
Emerald City. Addressing this matter would require a multifaceted approach that is both robust
and evidence-based to ensure substantial results. Heerman et al. (2018) acknowledge the issue of
evidence-based approaches sometimes being ineffective in community settings because of
dilution during the translation of the interventions. Some of these interventions might be hard to
replicate. Therefore, certain considerations must be made to establish an efficient and effective
interprofessional coalition team that can assist in ensuring this intervention becomes successful.
For the coalition to be able to influence and effect changes that will see the obesity rates at
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Emerald City drop, leaders will be required both from the community side and the healthcare
side. Throughout this initiative, these two must work together, with the community leader acting
as the link between the healthcare team and the community members. He/she will be the one to
convince the women and children of Emerald City of the importance of leading healthy lifestyles
and watching one’s weight. The community leader who will work closely with the professional
team must be a parent, well educated, and understanding of the nature of this obesity crisis.
His/her status as an educated member of the society will be critical in promoting this initiative,
considering that the community members will most likely listen to an influential and learned
person. The table below shows some of the critical members of the professional coalition team
that will collaborate with the identified community leader at Emerald City.
Coalition Team Member
An Attending Physician (Chairperson)
Resident Physician 1
Fellow Physician 2
Physician Specialized in dealing with obesity
A Member from US DHHS
A member from DHS
Role and Contribution
- Must be specialized in dealing with
lifestyle diseases.
- He/she will oversee the program and
the intervention process following
evidence-based guidelines.
- Will conduct investigations with a
team of other clinicians to establish
the root cause of obesity in the region.
- Work to analyze possible evidencebased interventions to determine the
best fit for Emerald city.
- Provide scientific expertise on the
situation by acting as a consultant.
- Monitor and keep tabs on the
intervention process and ensure that
the team works within the constraints
of medical practice.
- Work as the security advisor alongside
a team of law enforcement officers to
ensure no harm comes to the members
of the intervention team.
Issues Affecting Interprofessional Collaboration
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Interprofessional collaborations are not immune to obstacles or issues that may arise
during the collaboration process. Issues will vary depending on how wide the collaboration team
is and the number of different organizations involved. Some of the issues that arise during
interprofessional collaborations are mentioned below;

Inability to establish effective leadership between members of different organizations
leading to lack of cohesion among team members.

Lack of knowledge and appreciation of each member within the team and the individual
roles played by each member.

Issues with communication, especially the proper sharing of information between team
members.

Possibilities of bad blood between members of rival organizations or unpleasant personal
histories.

Lack of proper funding for the intervention program.

Lack of commitment and dedication among members.

Hierarchy related issues.
Strategies to Promote Better Interprofessional Collaboration
The following guidelines, principles, and recommendations will be significant in
establishing efficient and effective interprofessional collaboration.

Focusing on effective communication and determining the best communication strategies
and structures to utilize (Nancarrow et al., 2013). This can be achieved through things
like regular meetings and the use of a communication sharing platform.

Encouraging active participation among all team members.
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Positive leadership and management attributes. Leader behavior will affect the way
organizations/teams perform because leader behaviors can manifest itself among team
members (Longest, 2017).

Promoting training and development before the team begins the intervention program.

Setting attainable short and long-term goals tracked through milestones to be achieved
throughout the program timeline.

Leadership roles can be divided among team members to increase member involvement,
reduce workload on a single individual, and ensure members feel like they belong.

Promoting mutual trust and respect between team members by allowing members to
interact at a personal level (Nancarrow et al., 2013).

Ensuring that the team comprises of people with mixed skill sets that are appropriate for
the situation and the roles each member plays.
Ethical Issues in the Mitigation of Obesity
Hurlimann, Peña-Rosas, Saxena, Zamora & Godard (2017) mention that nutrition-related
public health interventions will exhibit varied ethical issues depending on how the interventions
are developed and implemented. Overlooking ethical challenges can result in serious
repercussions. Thus, ethical issues must be considered from both micro and meso levels. The
first point of focus is ensuring that informed consent is provided by every person directly
affected by this program. For instance, in the event that some of the children might require
bariatric surgery during this intervention, the parents must consent to the surgery and be made
aware of the risks. The community members must also understand the intentions of the
intervention team and understand the work they are conducting within the community. Expected
issues such as parents agreeing to bariatric surgery and the child refusing the surgery can create
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tough ethical dilemmas. Another ethical issue to consider is privacy concerns that might occur
during the collecting and gathering of information from the people of Emerald City. Intervention
programs that involve the gathering of information must ensure that the privacy and
confidentiality of the participants are safeguarded. The infringement of personal freedom is also
worth considering. This intervention might affect the way parents at Emerald City choose to raise
their children. Some of them might not want to follow the guidelines provided in how to raise
their children even if it is to the detriment of their children’s health. On the other hand, obese
women may also refuse to follow the directives provided by the intervention team. For instance,
the belief that when a child looks big, he/she is healthy may be difficult to eradicate. Forcing
these people to adhere to certain rules focused on living healthy may also raise ethical concerns.
Diversity and Inclusion
Kazley & Flemin (2017) talk about the acceptance of individual differences as a
significant method of promoting diversity and inclusion and establishing a culture of respect.
Promoting diversity and inclusion is critical in this interprofessional collaboration team because
it will promote both creativity and ensure that all members feel appreciated and valued. This will
boost other aspects of the team's collaborations, such as effective communication. An inclusive
environment will promote active participation from all the members. Thus, it is important that an
environment that promotes diversity and mutual respect among team members is established to
ensure the success of this intervention program. If diversity and inclusion are established, the
team will be efficient and effective, and the intervention is guaranteed to produce positive
results.
Literature Review on Obesity Mitigation
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Adams, Mytton, White & Monsivais (2016) mention the possibilities of high-agency
interventions being less effective compared to low-agency interventions. Low-agency
interventions can also operate at all levels because they do not rely on the motivation levels of
individuals to be effective. Thus, a significant approach to resolving the obesity issue among
women and children living in Emerald City might benefit from a low-agency intervention.
However, an intervention program is decided depending on the situation at hand. In a case
involving obesity, high-agency intervention might be necessary for it to become equitable.
Determining the best practice approach for intervention can be determined by simply
establishing what needs to be done to effect change and how it can be done (King, Gill, Allender
& Swinburn, 2010). King, Gill, Allender & Swinburn (2010) propose the use of a multifaceted
approach that mainly involves community engagement. The members of the community can be
educated on the importance of staying fit and healthy, eating healthy food, and managing weight
to prevent obesity and issues associated with being obese. King, Gill, Allender & Swinburn
(2010) acknowledge that such an approach is feasible because the members of the community
will understand exactly what is at stake and how best to change the dynamics. If the community
members are aware of the risk factors and complications associated with obesity, it can be easier
to develop a sustainable long-term weight management strategy.
Conclusion
The increasing numbers of people who are either overweight or obese are alarming, and
something must be done to ensure these people avoid the risks associated with being overweight
such as the development of cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Such situations will require the
formation of interprofessional collaboration teams who can share their expertise to come up with
the best interventions that can mitigate obesity, depending on the community setting. Addressing
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obesity can be challenging because interventions designed for a certain population may not work
the same with another population and might require tweaking. Coalition teams can be able to
tweak the available evidence-based programs to suit their needs while avoiding collaboration
issues as well as ethical issues to achieve the goals of the intervention. An emphasis on proper
weight management, healthy eating, and exercising will go a long way in reducing the obesity
rates both locally and globally.
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References
Adams, J., Mytton, O., White, M., & Monsivais, P. (2016). Why Are Some Population
Interventions for Diet and Obesity More Equitable and Effective Than Others? The Role
of Individual Agency. PLOS Medicine, 13(4), e1001990. doi:
10.1371/journal.pmed.1001990
Blumenthal, D., & Seervai, S. (2018). Rising Obesity in the United States Is a Public Health
Crisis. Retrieved 2 November 2020, from
https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2018/rising-obesity-united-states-publichealth-crisis#:~:text=Obesity%20is%20a%20grave%20public%20health%20threat%2C
%20more%20serious%20even,%2C%20cardiovascular%20disease%2C%20and
%20cancer.
Heerman, W., Schludnt, D., Harris, D., Teeters, L., Apple, R., & Barkin, S. (2018). Scale-out of a
community-based behavioral intervention for childhood obesity: pilot implementation
evaluation. BMC Public Health, 18(1). doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-5403-z
HHS.gov. (2019). Obesity and Hispanic Americans - The Office of Minority Health. Retrieved 2
November 2020, from https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?
lvl=4&lvlid=70#:~:text=Among%20Hispanic%20American%20women%2C
%2078.8,obese%20than%20non%2DHispanic%20whites.
Hurlimann, T., Peña-Rosas, J., Saxena, A., Zamora, G., & Godard, B. (2017). Ethical issues in
the development and implementation of nutrition-related public health policies and
interventions: A scoping review. PLOS ONE, 12(10), e0186897. doi:
10.1371/journal.pone.0186897
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Kazley, A. S., & Fleming, D. J. (2017). Teaching MHA Students to Embrace Differences: A
Diversity and Inclusion Workshop. The Journal of Health Administration
Education, 34(3), 463.
King, L., Gill, T., Allender, S., & Swinburn, B. (2010). Best practice principles for communitybased obesity prevention: development, content and application. Obesity Reviews, 12(5),
329-338. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789x.2010.00798.x
Longest, B. (2017). Responsible leader behavior in health sectors. Leadership In Health
Services, 30(1), 8-15. doi: 10.1108/lhs-05-2016-0020
Nancarrow, S., Booth, A., Ariss, S., Smith, T., Enderby, P., & Roots, A. (2013). Ten principles of
good interdisciplinary team work. Human Resources For Health, 11(1). doi:
10.1186/1478-4491-11-19
Pulgarón, E., Patiño-Fernández, A., Sanchez, J., Carrillo, A., & Delamater, A. (2013). Hispanic
children and the obesity epidemic: Exploring the role of abuelas. Families, Systems, &
Health, 31(3), 274-279. doi: 10.1037/a0034208
Rosado, J., Johnson, S., McGinnity, K., & Cuevas, J. (2013). Obesity Among Latino Children
Within a Migrant Farmworker Community. American Journal Of Preventive
Medicine, 44(3), S274-S281. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2012.11.019
ten Hoor, G., Plasqui, G., Schols, A., & Kok, G. (2017). Development, Implementation, and
Evaluation of an Interdisciplinary Theory- and Evidence-Based Intervention to Prevent
Childhood Obesity: Theoretical and Methodological Lessons Learned. Frontiers In Public
Health, 5. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2017.00352
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