Community Agency for the Obese, Research Paper Example

Introduction

The sequel paper further analyzes the obesity problem by identifying a community agency headquartered in Oakland, California, USA. This paper reviews National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA), a community non-profit agency and civil rights organization founded in 1969, to advocate for eliminating body size discrimination in all its varied forms and occurrences. NAAFA has nationally played a vital role in building an ideal society, one in which all people are accepted with equality and dignity in all life’s aspects irrespective of their body sizes. Towards this pursuit, NAAFA has continually engaged advocacy, peer support and public education, as its main tools of attaining their objectives (NAAFA, 2010). This paper will identify services provided by NAAFA and discuss all its referral considerations.

Agency Information

NAAFA, being a non-profit community agency and a civil-rights organization has it mission being improving the quality of life and of living for the obese people (NAAFA, 2010). NAAFA’s operations work to eliminate the social discrimination accorded to some people due to their bigger body size (the fat people) (NAAFA, 2010). NAAFA also provides the obese with numerous support tools for self-esteem, self-empowerment and self-actualization. NAAFA is involved in three distinct roles in the community and nationally in the US, namely public education and awareness campaigns to sensitize the public on weight-borne discrimination, advocacy for the development of policies and social infrastructure that protects and provides for the obese, and finally, the member support aimed at giving the obese a chance in living a positive, happy life (NAAFA, 2010).

NAAFA (original based in New York) was founded by William Fabrey as a movement for the obese in 1969. Then, it was known as the National Association to Aid Fat Americans, with their major operations being letter-writing community-based campaigns and other social activities (NAAFA, 2010). It was later renamed to NAAFA in 1980 when the organization became a national entity, since when it has held an annual national convention every summer. They have forged a successful support front for the obese people in the US today, especially with the Size Diversity Toolkit launched in 2008 to support the obese people in their daily life while also lobbying for organizations to accept and respect size diversity (NAAFA, 2010). Currently, NAAFA is engaged in a campaign to change airline policies that require fat people to pay for several seats instead of a single travel ticket (NAAFA, 2010).

NAAFA operates in a three-tier organization structure, constituting of members (volunteers) and two Boards (NAAFA, 2010). The first of these two boards is the 12-member Board of Advisors, made up of volunteers in the scientific, legal and medical fields coming from all over the US. This board is mainly charged with the responsibility of providing support services to the obese people in the community, both members and non-members. The second board is the 6-member Board of Directors, comprising of two Co-Chairs, Treasurer, Director of Programs, Public Relations Director and finally the Members and Member Service Director (NAAFA, 2010).

While also constituting volunteers from the community and corporate sector from throughout the US, the Board of Directors is the ultimate governing body for NAAFA charged with administrating NAAFA’s mission, sustaining its vision and focusing its strategic goals (NAAFA, 2010). Further, NAAFA’s Board of Directors represents the ultimate authority over its actions, fiscal management overseer (i.e. budget approval) and the safeguard of all official policies. NAAFA is funded by member and well-wisher donations (Stürmer et al, 2003).

While being overly focused on reducing discrimination for fat people, NAAFA has in the last few years also dedicated its efforts on educating people on body weight problems, helping its members fight the health complications resulting from being overweight and facilitating preventive strategies such as healthy dieting and exercises to prevent the obese from having a negative health problem (Stürmer et al, 2003). NAAFA has facilitated secondary and tertiary levels of prevention programs aimed at those who are already obese, but are willing to prevent this condition being accompanied by health problems (Stürmer et al, 2003).

They do this by first helping their members overcome social stigma associated with their body size and helping fight discrimination in the society, so that the obese individuals can then have the ability to prevent the medical and even psychological effects of overweight conditions (Lemay, 2003). NAAFA believes that people fail in weight loss efforts due to poor self-discipline as well as lack of willpower (NAAFA, 2010). By helping their members attain these two, NAAFA helps them prevent adverse medical and psychological outcomes of being obese (Stürmer et al, 2003).

Referral Considerations

Everyone is eligible to join NAAFA and participate in their advocacy, educational, preventive and support programs (Sheehan, 2010). One can have either of two memberships available, the General Membership at $15 renewable annually and NAAFA Supporting Membership at $50 renewable annually (NAAFA, 2010). Once a member, NAAFA helps any individual to benefit from their programs and participate in their activities (Sheehan, 2010). Again, their services are offered free of charge and are dependent on member and well-wisher donations. Those who are economically constrained in the community can join NAAFA and participate equally with those able to donate huge amounts of money. NAAFA also supports research and education by providing $1,000.00 scholarship awards aimed at advancing their interests in the community and nation (NAAFA, 2010).

Currently, most of NAAFA’s activities are facilitated online. Once one acquires a membership, most of the available resources are available on a regular basis (NAAFA, 2010). NAAFA maintains alliances in every one of the 50 US states, where members can seek for preventive, counseling and treatment services (Stürmer et al, 2003). Services at such centers is offered independently but discounted for NAAFA members. Every member can seek recommendation to a center near his place of residence by contacting NAAFA’s Advisory Board (Sheehan, 2010). This arrangement helps members to access help conveniently and without the hindrances of transport, culture, language and values. All centers affiliated with NAAFA have a high regard in eliminating the stigma associated with obesity and provide their services in a very supportive manner (Sheehan, 2010).

Conclusion

This paper has reviewed the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA), a community non-profit agency and civil rights organization founded in 1969, to advocate for eliminating body size discrimination in all its varied forms and occurrences. As the paper has detailed, NAAFA has played a vital role nationally in advocacy, peer support and public education against discrimination of the obese, while also supporting their members to access counseling and preventive care from numerous centers located in every US state, so as to help them prevent the adverse medical and psychological effects of being overweight.

References

Lemay, C., Cashman, S., Savageau, J., Fletcher, K., Kinney, R. & Long-Middleton, E. (2003).

Underdiagnosis of Obesity at a Community Health Center. The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, Vol. 16 (1). pp. 14-21.

NAAFA (2010). About US. National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. Retrieved August 05, 2010, from http://www.naafaonline.com/dev2/about/index.html

Sheehan, J. (2010). The Fat Acceptance Movement: The National Association to Advance Fat acceptance is leading the fat power movement with political action, education, and support for obese people. Retrieved August 05, 2010, from  http://www.everydayhealth.com/weight/the-fat-acceptance-movement.aspx

Stürmer, S., Simon, B., Loewy, M. & Jörger, H. (2003). The Dual-Pathway Model of Social Movement Participation: The Case of the Fat Acceptance Movement. Social Psychology Quarterly, Vol. 66 (1). pp. 71