NRS-490 – Nutrition and Body Weight Status

NRS-490 – Nutrition and Body Weight Status

NRS-490 – Nutrition and Body Weight Status

The PICOT statement that will be discussed in this project is; in schooling children, what is the effect of a school-based nutritional counseling intervention program on the nutrition and body weight status in the incidence of childhood obesity, compared with obese children without a similar intervention within a period of one year? To answer this question, it will be critical to significantly reduce the number of obese children. The role of the nurse is to provide nutritional information to educate the caregivers on the role of nutrition and healthy feeding habits in determining children’s’ nutritional status.

The question would be useful in the programs and interventions that deal with school-based obese and overweight children. Notably, it is crucial to intervene in the nutritional and body weight status of obese children to prevent predisposing them to comorbidities and debilitating illnesses in the future (Khan, Raine, Donovan, & Hillman, 2014). Diseases associated with childhood Obesity include Hyperglycemia, Sleep Apnea, and Coronary Heart Disease. Moreover, the minors will be able to live normal lives and boost personal self-esteem, which is normally eroded by social stigma in children suffering from obesity.

The goal of researching on evidence-based topics as a nurse is to ensure that the information is within the scope of practice and not above or below the scope of practice. The Ebscohost database was used to search for articles that align with childhood Obesity. The main search terms were children, childhood Obesity Overweight, obese, and BMI. A total of 290 articles that meet this criterion were found. The search was then narrowed down using the date of publication full text and peer-reviewed options. Articles published 2010 or newer were searched and a total of 124 articles were found. Next, the articles that did not identify with the impact of nutritional status and the impact on children’s health were eliminated. A total of two articles remained to further discuss and critique the problem.

Appropriate nursing interventions would advocate for the nutritional management of children with obesity and counseling of parents and caregivers on healthy feeding habits and diet modification, meal planning, and timing ensures that children consume the recommended dietary allowances for all food groups (Amis, Wright, Dyson, Vardaman & Ferry, 2012). These interventions would entail tailor made diet plans for the children aimed at reducing the BMI. Nutritional counseling seals the existent gaps in nutritional knowledge among parents and caregivers that constrains provision of adequate nutrition to obese children.

Patient care for obese children involves screening of family history for Obesity and weight-related health problems such as Hypertension, Diabetes M., and Cardiovascular Disease. In addition, patient care incorporates conducting blood tests such as blood sugar tests, cholesterol tests, and hormonal imbalance tests to screen for conditions such as thyroid malfunction (Amis et al., 2012). Based on the child’s age and depending on the prevalence of Obesity-related diseases, appropriate treatments are implemented. Incorporation of an exercise program helps the children with weight management and prevention of complications arising from Obesity.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 12.7 million children and adolescents in America are obese. This figure accounts for 17% of the children population. CDC’S framework for childhood Obesity identifies ways in which communities can support child care and education facilities to prevent Obesity (Amis et al., 2012). The organization’s best practices for Obesity prevention comprise of criteria for obesity prevention which entails nutritional support, child feeding, and promotion of physical activity.

The significance of nursing practice and interventions ensures that children and caregivers are informed on proper dietary choices for prevention of morbidity associated with Obesity. Furthermore, nurses are conferred with the obligation to promote health-enhancing activities in the prevention and management of Obesity and comorbidities (Khan et al., 2014). In essence, nurses play a pivotal role in the prevention of pregnancy-related Obesity through advice, encouraging mothers to breastfeed and reasonable weaning to provide children with a better start in life. Moreover, nurses provide parents with the strategies for prevention of extra caloric intake in infancy.

References

Amis, J. M., Wright, P. M., Dyson, B., Vardaman, J. M., & Ferry, H. (2012). Implementing childhood obesity policy in a new educational environment: The cases of Mississippi and Tennessee. American Journal of Public Health, 102(7), 1406-1413. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2011.300414

Khan, N. A., Raine, L. B., Donovan, S. M., & Hillman, C. H. (2014). The cognitive implications of obesity and nutrition in childhood. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 79(4), 51-71.