NSG 6101 Childhood Obesity Essay

NSG 6101 Childhood Obesity Essay

A major health concern across the United States is childhood obesity. Children are classified as obese if they obtain a body mass index in the 95th percentile or higher based on the gender and the age of the child. Obesity is associated with numerous health problems and diseases. Childhood obesity is commonly associated with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer, mental health problems and also a decrease in school performance (Vrijheid et al., 2020). The prevalence of obesity among children in the United States was 18.5% during the years of 2015 and 2016 (Hales, Carroll, Fryar, & Ogden, 2017). According to Hales, Carroll, Fryar, and Ogden (2017) approximately one in every five children in the United States suffer from obesity.

NSG 6101 Childhood Obesity Essay

An article by Notara, Giannakopoulou, Sakellari, & Panagiotakos (2020) discussed the important role that the family plays in a child’s weight status and overall state of health. Research conducted by Chapman, Lindsey, Dodd-Reynolds, Oliver, & Summerbell (2020) pursued to report and describe how targeting childhood obesity through primary schools would aid in the prevention of obesity and would enhance healthy eating and increased physical activity.

Lastly, Purswani, Marsicek, & Amankwah (2020) performed research to assess and investigate the association of childhood obesity and adverse childhood experiences. Interventions must be implemented early in life in order to prevent the growing problem of childhood obesity which typically will lead into adulthood. The purpose of this paper is to research how interventions such as educational nutrition programs and nutrition counseling for both children and their parents can help prevent and treat obesity and other associated diseases.

The percentage of children with obesity is steadily increasing. The prevalence of obesity has doubled in the past three decades and has tripled in adolescents (Sanyaolu et al., 2019). Obesity rates in children are based on gender, race, genetics, educational level, demographics and also socioeconomic status. Obesity rates were higher in non-Hispanic African American children and Hispanic children when compared to non-Hispanic Asian children and non-Hispanic Caucasian children. Twenty-two percent of obese children consisted of non-Hispanic African Americans and twenty-five percent consisted of obese Hispanic children (Hales, Carroll, Fryar, & Ogden, 2017).

According to Danford et. al (2015), low-income children represent 3.2% of obese children while 90.9% of the children contribute being obese to the types and quantities of food they eat related to the lack of basic nutritional knowledge. 44.9% associated the cause of obesity to parenting behaviors, 42.3% identified lack of activity as a common cause of childhood obesity, 24.5% is based on the mother’s genetic makeup, and 5.2% identified stress or emotion as a common theme related to childhood obesity (Danford et. al, 2015). Parents must obtain a wise working knowledge about basic nutritional concepts for their children in order to improve food shopping and preparation.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the growing problem of childhood obesity in the United States and research the effectiveness of certain interventions that can be implemented such as educational programs on nutrition and counseling programs for the children and their parents. The information gathered throughout this paper will pursue to answer the following questions: “What traits do children suffering from obesity have in common and how can these common traits assist the medical field in preventing the disease of obesity?” and also “What are the effects of the educational nutrition and counseling programs on children and families suffering from obesity?” The null hypothesis of this paper is: Educational nutrition and counseling programs will have no effect on the body mass index numbers in obese children.

The hypothesis of this paper is: If children and their families attend educational nutrition and counseling programs, the body mass index numbers will decrease in obese children. The variables in this paper consist of the independent variable and the dependent variable. The independent variable is related to educational nutrition and counseling programs. The dependent variable is related to the body mass index of the children. Educational nutrition and counseling programs will consist of meeting individual goals, assessing each child’s needs, and have a trained counselor meet with them to discuss how to achieve those goals. By calculating the child’s height and weight, the body mass index can be interpreted.

References for NSG 6101 Childhood Obesity Essay

  • Chapman, P., Lindsey, I., Dodd-Reynolds, C., Oliver, E., & Summerbell, C. (2020). Targeting      childhood obesity through primary schools: reviewing alignment amongst English policies for physical activity and healthy eating. Child & Adolescent Obesity (2574254X), 3(1), 20-41. https://doi-org.su.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/2574254X.2020.1740548
  • Danford, C. A., Schultz, C. M., Rosenblum, K., Miller, A. L., & Lumeng, J. C. (2015). Perceptions of low-income mothers about the causes and ways to prevent overweight in children. Child: Care, Health & Development, 41(6), 865-872. https://doi-org.su.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/cch.12256
  • Hales, C., Carroll, M., Fryar, C., & Ogden, C. (2017). Prevalence of obesity among adults and youth: United states, 2015-2016. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db288.pdf
  • Notara, V., Giannakopoulou, S., Sakellari, E., & Panagiotakos, D. (2020). Family-Related          Characteristics and Childhood Obesity: A Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 13(1), 61-72.
  • Purswani, P., Marsicek, S., & Amankwah, E. (2020). Association between cumulative exposure to adverse childhood experiences and childhood obesity. PloS One, 15(9), e0239940.  https://doi-org.su.idm.oclc.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239940
  • Sanyaolu, A., Okorie, C., Qi, X., Locke, J., & Rehman, S. (2019). Childhood and Adolescent Obesity in the United States: A Public Health Concern. Global pediatric health, 6, 2333794X19891305. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333794X19891305
  • Vrijheid, M., Fossati, S., Maitre, L., Marquez, S., Roumeliotaki, T., Agier, L., Andrusaityte, S., Cadiou, S., Casas, M., de Castro, M., Delele, A., Donaire-onzalez, D., Grazuleviciene, R., Haug, L., McEachan, R., Margrete Meltzer, H., Papadopouplopu, E., Robinson, O., Sakhi, A., & Siroux, V. (2020). Early-life Environmental Exposures and Childhood Obesity: An Exposome- Wide Approach. Environmental Health Perspectives, 128(6), 067009-1-067009-14. https://doi-org.su.idm.oclc.org/10.1289/EHP5975

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