Week 4 Topic:

In the helping professions it is important to not only understand how learning takes place, but we must also understand how to apply the principles of learning to help people deal with problems they are experiencing as well as to help a community make needed improvements.  Identify a social problem in your own community and explain how it could be addressed by applying one or a combination of the learning principles that have been covered in this course.

 

Learning Principles and Solving Childhood Obesity

Social issues are problems that affect a significant part of a given population. Such problems are inevitable in any society, but members must do their best to overcome them. Good health is a fundamental desire for human beings, and any broader adverse outcomes constitute social problems for the affected society. One of the most significant issues in the U.S. is the rising incidence of childhood obesity (Uche et al., 2020). Such a bad state of affairs does not bode well for the nation's future, requiring swift intervention from all the concerned stakeholders. At this point, it is essential to diagnose the problem's causes and gauge how learning principles could facilitate the problem's resolution.

The first step towards choosing the correct intervention is to determine the causes. While genetic susceptibility plays a part in childhood obesity's incidence, lifestyle has a more significant bearing on the social problem's prevalence. Unhealthy eating habits have become the norm in the U.S., with fast foods and junk dominating the typical American family’s diet (Hemmingsson, 2018). Another risk factor is their propensity to leading sedentary lifestyles with videogames, T.V., and movies, and tech gadgets keeping them indoors. These behaviors inhibit the children's development and put them at significant risk of becoming obese.

Learning is a critical process in human life that imparts practical knowledge designed to facilitate a change in one’s behavior and approach to diverse issues. In the same vein, learning principles indicate cross-cutting fundamentals that apply in all forms of learning. Some of the applicable learning principles are participation and relevance. These principles are essential because childhood obesity is a consequence of a learned lifestyle. The first principle is relevance for addressing childhood obesity is to help people understand the complications that the disease triggers. High blood pressure and breathing problems are some of the issues children may develop (Caprio et al., 2020). Participation entails bringing the community on board. The intervention can only work if the target population understands the stakes. Involving them in these interventions provides supportive frameworks for ensuring that these new habits like proper diet and active lifestyle.