This document provides instructions for a funding plan assignment to address adolescent obesity in a targeted community. It describes the health disparity of higher obesity rates among low-SES adolescents. The proposed intervention is a one-month behavioral change campaign involving school visits, digital/social media outreach, and community health worker training to promote healthy behaviors and lifestyles. Sustainability will come from training adolescent peer educators. Cost savings will result from reduced healthcare utilization like hospitalizations, though exact figures are difficult to determine at the local level.

1. Benchmark - Funding Plan Assignment
Benchmark - Funding Plan AssignmentThe purpose of this assignment is to create a plan for
funding an intervention while applying financial planning and management best practices.
Write a 1,200-1,500 word plan for funding, including the following information: Description
of the data used to determine the targeted health disparity. Description of the health
disparity targeted through the intervention. Description of intervention sustainability.
Description of possible cost savings resulting from intervention implementation. Rationale
for chosen sources of funding. A proposed budget that includes total cost of implementation,
expenses, and amount of funding received. Description of adherence to financial planning
and management best practices. Include one or two resources in your paper. Prepare this
assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student
Success Center. An abstract is not required. This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the
rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for
successful completion. You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to
the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance. the assignment
instructions.Benchmark - Funding Plan AssignmentORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER
HEREFunding Plan for Community Behavioral Change Campaign as an Adolescent Obesity
Intervention ProgramOverweight and obesity among children and adolescents are a major
epidemic in the United States. It is a growing public health problem that must be addressed
if future astronomical healthcare costs are to be avoided (Bagherniya et al., 2017;
Gortmaker et al., 2015). This is because overweight and obesity are an independent risk
factor for the development of cardiovascular disease such as myocardial infarction,
hypertension, and type II diabetes mellitus. These are mostly preventable chronic illnesses
that only require lifestyle changes to stop (Hammer & McPhee, 2018). According to
Bagherniya et al. (2017) the annual direct and indirect healthcare costs due to obesity and
overweight are approximately 300 billion USD in both the United States and Canada. They
also posit that the likelihood of an adolescent becoming an obese adult in these countries is
a whopping 80%. It is estimated that 31% of all children and adolescents aged 2-19 years
are overweight, and 17% of them are obese (Jelalian & Evans, 2017). This observation is
correlated by Wolstein et al. (2015) who state that 33% of all juveniles 2-19 years old in the
United States (US) are either overweight or obese. Because of body proportions, the
determination of body weight to height ratio or body mass index (BMI) in children and
adolescents is done by way of percentiles. The determination is sex- and age-specific and
considers the calculated BMI in kg/m2. According to this methodology, overweight in a

2. child or adolescent (teenager) is described by a BMI equal to or greater than the 85th
percentile but less than the 95th percentile. Likewise, obesity is defined by a BMI equal to or
greater than the 95th percentile. All this is for a child and teenager of the same age and sex
(Jelalian & Evans, 2017). Of particular concern, however, is that there is a proven disparity
in the prevalence of obesity between adolescents from low socio-economic backgrounds
and those of higher socio-economic status (SES). The prevalence is paradoxically higher in
the former but lower in the latter (Ogden et al., 2018; Jelalian & Evans, 2017; Wolstein et al.,
2015). To change these prevalence trends in the community, prevention and treatment of
established obesity are required. This paper is about a funding plan for behavioral change
as one of those interventions that aim to decrease the prevalence rates of obesity and
overweight among US adolescents.Data Used for Forming the Basis for Determination of
Obesity as a Health DisparityMultiple scholars have conclusively determined that there
exists a widening disparity in obesity prevalence rates between well-to-do Americans and
those living under federal poverty levels. Those most affected have turned out to be from
minority racial and ethnic groups such as African Americans and Hispanics. Overweight and
obesity disproportionately affects these populations and a paradoxical correlation exists
between their low socio-economic status (SES) and this condition (Ogden et al., 2018;
Jelalian & Evans, 2017; Wolstein et al., 2015). This health disparity is mostly due to long
standing inequalities in income, education, and healthcare access. According to Wolstein et
al. (2015), low socio-economic status American youth (adolescents/ teenagers) are twice as
likely to suffer from obesity and overweight as their high SES counterparts of the same age.
Part of the reason for this is that low purchasing power pushes the poor adolescents and
their parents to buy cheap caloric sweetened beverages and also to consume a diet that is
deficient in fresh fruits and vegetables. Insecurity in the poor neighborhoods where these
poor adolescents live also prevents any form of outdoor physical activity in many areas.
This is compounded further by low levels of educational achievements among these
marginalised minority communities (Wolstein et al., 2015).Benchmark - Funding Plan
AssignmentOgden et al. (2018) posit that between the year 2011 and 2014, the prevalence
of obesity among children and adolescents in the US of ages two to nineteen was 17%
overall. However, the prevalence was lower at 10.9% in the high SES cohort but higher at
19.9% in the low SES group. The prevalence was also lower at 9.6% in the highest education
group and higher at 21.6% in the lowest education cohort. These statistics provide the
justification for choosing overweight and obesity as the targeted health disparity
condition.The Health Disparity Targeted Through the InterventionThe health disparity
targeted through the proposed intervention in this paper is adolescent obesity, as has been
stated above. In the US, decades of institutional discrimination has resulted in a much
skewed distribution of resources that adversely affects every facet of the lives of minority
communities. Because of the systemic discrimination, fewer children from minority
communities like African Americans and Hispanics get access to quality education,
regardless of academic ability. For the same reason, fewer Americans from these
communities get opportunities to work in well-paying jobs like their White counterparts. It
also goes without saying that a lack of quality education opportunities directly translates to
fewer opportunities for jobs in well-paying careers such as medicine, engineering, and the

3. sciences. What this means is that persons from these minority communities will have lower
incomes across the lifespan and therefore be unable to afford residence in good and safe
neighborhoods. They will also be unable to afford quality and healthy food. This then leads
them to resort to cheap dangerous disease-causing sweetened beverages as well as junk
foods for regular diet. The result is a population of children, adolescents, and adults with
disproportionately high numbers of obese individuals. This is why the intervention
proposed in this plan targets such a community, specifically its adolescent
demographic.ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HEREIntervention
SustainabilityGortmaker et al. (2015) have observed that nutritional standards for foods
and beverages are one of the interventions that saved much more in healthcare costs than
what they cost to implement. Jelalian and Evans (2017) have also agreed that
comprehensive lifestyle change is an effective measure in reducing overweight and obesity
prevalence rates. However, the intervention needs to be multifaceted and requires proper
funding by governments, corporate bodies, and foundations for success. Most importantly,
the interventions need to be cost-effective because of limited resources (Gortmaker et al.,
2015). It has also been determined that interventions have to be community-driven and
done in the community setting for them to be successful and sustainable in these affected
minority communities (Partridge & Redfern, 2018). An example of such a community-
centered program was a collaboration between UnitedHealth Group (an insurer) and area
YMCAs to implement a weight control program among children and adolescents aged 6-17
years (92% of whom were above the 95th percentile BMI or obese). The other community-
centered approach to intervention was the Mind, Exercise, Nutrition, Do it (MEND) program
(Jelalian & Evans, 2017).Benchmark - Funding Plan AssignmentThe proposed intervention
in this plan is also community-based and will focus on a one-month behavioral change
campaign targeting adolescents and involving (i) school visits for education on nutritional
standards, (ii) digital intervention involving personalization and co-design, (iii) social media
campaign, and (iv) dissemination of educational posters. The target minority community for
this adolescent obesity intervention program comprises about 300,000 people.
Sustainability will be achieved by training adolescent community trainers who will continue
educating their peers after the exercise, using materials provided to them during the
intervention.Cost Savings Resulting from Intervention ImplementationA study by
Gortmaker et al. (2015) established that interventions such as the one proposed in this plan
result in cost savings in terms of billions of dollars when implemented on a national scale.
However, because this particular intervention targets a small population focus of about
300,000 people, the cost saving impact will be local or at the micro level. Quantifying these
cost savings in dollar terms may be difficult at this time, except perhaps by extrapolation of
the national figures. They will however come from (i) reduced hospitalization (ii) reduced
expenditure on medications for chronic conditions like diabetes, and (iii) reduction in
productive time lost through morbidity.Rationale for the Funding Sources ChosenThe
funding sources chosen for this community intervention for prevention and management of
adolescent obesity are:Corporate financing from a health insurer (UnitedHealth
Group)Donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates FoundationThe rationale for these choices
is that both of them are focussed and passionate about the health and wellness of

4. marginalised communities, children, and those living below the poverty line. This common
organizational mission is what made it easy for the implementers of this program to pitch
for funding by a proposal to both organizations.Benchmark - Funding Plan
AssignmentProposed Budget and Amount of Funding ReceivedThe proposed budget is as
follows:Table 1: Proposed budgetItemEstimated Cost (USD)School visits for nutritional
education (Gortmaker et al., 2015). 58,632Digital intervention including social media
(Partridge & Redfern, 2018). 117,264Posters 58,632Logistics
40,000Hospitality 50,000Allowances 132,000Administrative costs
50,000Miscellaneous expenses 30,000Total 536,528 The amount of
funding received was USD 300,000 from UnitedHealth Group and USD 236,528 from the Bill
and Melinda Gates Foundation.Adherence to Financial Planning and Management Best
PracticesIn order to properly manage these finances and ensure that they go to the intended
purpose, there is need to adhere to strict financial planning and financial management
practices. This will be achieved in this process by getting the least number of volunteer
facilitators who are the most efficient and effective, keeping a cash-flow register for the
entire project period, maintaining a double-entry account of every expenditure made in the
one month lifetime of the project, running the intervention according to strict project
planning principles by sticking to the budget and the timeframe, and lastly writing up a
balance sheet at the end of the exercise. Copies of the cash-flow statement and balance sheet
statement will be sent to the two benefactors at the end of the project to demonstrate
transparency and gratitude.ConclusionAdolescent obesity is an important public health
issue in the United States. It is especially problematic in minority populations such as
African Americans and Hispanics that show a disproportionate susceptibility to the
condition. This is due to long standing disparities in healthcare access and income. The best
strategy for reducing these high rates is lifestyle change. This should be done at the
community level and may require funding for it to be successful. Benchmark - Funding
Plan AssignmentReferencesBagherniya, M., Taghipour, A., Sharma, M., Sahebkar, A.,
Contento, I.R., Keshavarz, S.A.... & Safarian, M. (2017). Obesity intervention programs among
adolescents using social cognitive theory: a systematic literature review. Health Education
Research, 33(1), 26-39. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/her/cyx079Gortmaker, S.L., Wang,
Y.C., Long, M.W., Giles, C.M., Ward, Z.J., Barrett, J.L.... & Cradock, A.L. (2015). Three
interventions that reduce childhood obesity are projected to save more than they cost to
implement. Health Affairs, 34(11), 1932-1939. Doi:
https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2015.0631Hammer, D.G., & McPhee, S.J. (Eds). (2018).
Pathophysiology of disease: An introduction to clinical medicine, 8th ed. New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill Education.Jelalian, E., & Evans, E.W. (2017).Behavioral intervention in the
treatment of obesity in children and adolescents: implications for Mexico. Nutrition
Reviews, 75(S1), 79-84. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuw035Ogden, C.L., Carroll,
M.D., Fakhouri, T.H., Hales, C.M., Fryer, C.D., Li, X., & Freedman, D.S. (2018). Prevalence of
obesity among youths by household income and education level of head of household –
United States 2011-2014. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Report, 67(6), 186-189. Doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6706a3Partridge, S.R., & Redfern, J. (2018).
Strategies to engage adolescents in digital health interventions for obesity prevention and

5. management. Healthcare, 6(3), 1-10. Doi:
https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare6030070Wolstein, J., Babey, S.H., Diamant, A.L. (2015).
Obesity in California. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Center for Health Policy
Research.Benchmark_funding_planBenchmark - Funding Plan Assignment