Obesity and Healthy Eating Habits

Obesity is a growing problem, most prevalent in the developed countries, especially US. Children and adolescents are gaining weight at a fast pace as compared to their parents. Although, it is very complicated to exactly know the cause of obesity, its risk factors, its prevention in different populations, yet, it has been observed that changes in life style and particularly in eating habits has contributed to an increased obesity incidence globally. These habits include eating junk food, synthetic and bakery products, increased hoteling, increased consumption of meat and unstaturated fats. If we compare the urban and rural regions at a global scale, we may come to know that Obesity and gastrointestinal problems are more prevalent in urban areas. It also indicates that these disorders are mostly attributed to bad eating habits and wrong choices of food which lack nutritional value but cause various disorders. Atleast 2 decades ago, when there was less digitalization and technological advancements, if people consumed high cholesterol diet or meat, they could digest it as they were physically very active. But in these days, there is less physical activity and our digestive systems cannot digest such food. Moreover, junk food may contribute to obesity. No doubt genetics may also has some role which cannot be denied but the modifiable risk factors can be controlled, monitored and may prevent such disorders. However, global investigations in this regard are direly needed to know the dietary habits and patterns worldwide, their effects in different populations, so that policies may be devised and implemented. Parents are also not aware of a proper healthy pattern that meets the requirements of their children. Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) Surveys and then awareness campaigns may play a positive role in this regard. Teaching healthy dietary patterns for different age groups at school level may also serve the purpose.

Teachers and Management Understanding and Practices of Teamwork in School

Every year educational institutes invest a lot of money on education. Various approaches and techniques are being used to enhance the quality of education in order to meet the requirements of the revolutionary developing world. Teachers' teamwork is supposed to be an effective effort towards meeting those needs, by developing teachers' knowledge and skills and by sharing their experiences with each other. A number of studies have been conducted in the western countries on teachers' teamwork. Therefore, this study was conducted in a community private English medium school in Karachi, to find out teachers and management practices and understanding of teachers teamwork. The study undertook two teaching teams, one in the primary section and another in secondary section, and one team of coordinators (academic council), which is a decision making body as well as deals with teachers and classroom teaching. The study explores how teamwork helps teachers enhance their personal and professional knowledge by providing them a collaborative environment. It also explains how the school structure and the required elements, resources, time and professional development opportunities help in this regard. Even though it is a management structure, yet is seem to be fruitful for teachers to build up their trust and relation with each other, which are supposed to provide baseline for teachers' professional growth by bringing their tacit beliefs and assumptions to the surface. It also highlights some factors influencing effective teamwork, for example, influence of the team leader/coordinator, not having clear rules to be followed, unawareness of the purpose/vision for the team and role ambiguity of the members of the academic council. The study also recommends some suggestions for improving the quality of teamwork as well as recommends further studies in this field to be explored.