Parental Perception

of Childhood
Obesity in School
Age Children
Presented by
Honorine Mumah RN, BSN,FNPs

Objectives
By the end of this presentation, the audience will be able to
Identify background overview
Identify the problem
Identify the significance
Identify the Purpose
Identify the overview of prior literature
Identify the future implementation and benefits

Background Overview
Childhood obesity has more than doubled in the past 30
years from 7% in 1980 to 18% in 2012 among children
between the ages of 6-11 (CDC, 2014)
An obese child has a 70% chance of becoming an obese
adult (Fletcher, Cooper, Helms, Northingtion, & Winters,
2009)
The one third of American children who are overweight or
obese, are at an increased risk for obesity-related health
problems (Koh, 2010; Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention).
The current First Lady of the United States, Michelle
Obama, has directly acknowledged this epidemic and
launched a national campaign in February 2010 to
eliminate childhood obesity within one
generation(Stolberg, 2010).

Background Overview
Hospitalizations associated with obesity in children
increased from 2.1% from 1981 to 4.8% during 19971999,costing society about $150 billion every year
(Orszag, 2010; Trasande & Elbel, 2012 ).
Parental perceptions and attitudes regarding childhood
obesity can affect the outcome of a childs weight, either
normal, overweight or obesity (Moore, Harris, & Bradlyn,
2012; Moore & Bailey, 2013)
86% of parents described their child weight as normal
when they are actually overweight as evident by
elevated basal metabolic index BMI (Musaad,
Paige,Teran, Denovan &Fiese, 2013; Cowie, 2014).

Statement of the problem

The mounting rate of childhood obesity and its related
consequences is currently an issue in the United States

Significance of the clinical project

Explore and strengthen the knowledge of parental
perception of childhood obesity in school age children

Questions for the

clinical project

What is the perception of parents of school age

children form 7-12 on childhood obesity
What are the consequences of obesity in children

Purpose of the
clinical project

The aim is to describe

and increase
understanding of
parental perception of
their childs weight status
and childhood obesity.

Review of Literature
Defining Obesity
Body Mass Index equal to or greater 95th percentile (American Heart
Association, 2014)
''abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to
health'' (World Health Organization, 2014).

Prevalence
Childhood obesity has quadrupled in the past 30 years (Balistreri &
Hook 2011) .
31.8% of children and adolescents in the U.S are considered
overweight or obese (CDC, 2014).
From 2011-2012, obesity was higher in Hispanic (22.4%) and African
American (20.2 %) than non Hispanic whites (14.1%) and Asian
(8.6%) (CDC, 2014)
Childhood obesity is rising for both developed and underdeveloped
countries from 4.2% in 1990 to 6.7% in 2010(Karnik & Kanekar,
2012; De Onis, Blssner & Borghi, 2010)

Review of literature continues

Causes of Childhood Obesity
Genetics: increases a childs susceptibility for obesity by
changing the body fat content, energy intake and expenditure
(Karnik & Kanekar, 2012)
Race: Of the 12 million American children between the ages
of 2 to 19 from 2011-2012, obesity was higher in Hispanic
(22.4%) and African American (20.2 %) than non Hispanic
whites (14.1%) and Asian (8.6%) (CDC, 2014)
Lifestyle and Physical activity: American society is
characterized by environments that endorse increased intake
of unhealthy foods and decrease physical activity (CDC,
2013)

Effects of Childhood Obesity

Physical: type II DM, cardiovascular, high cholesterol and BP,
metabolic syndrome, asthma, sleep apnea, GERD
Social and emotional: low self esteem, bulling, depression,
behavior and learning problems

Results
parents often have misconceptions about the definition,
etiology, and appropriate management of childhood
obesity
parental perception seem to be related to internal
variables like cultural affiliation, family traditions, basic
understanding of health and illness, and self-efficacy
provide direction for areas of future studies

Future implementations and benefits

1. Practice
. Health care professionals are required address human responses
to actual and potential health
. Understand that parental perceptions are associated with both
child feeding patterns and the development of obesity problems
in school age children
. Promote and maintain good nutrition and healthy body weight
and assessment for early identification of children who are at risk
or who are already overweight

2. Research
3. Policy development
Polices to safeguard children, families and strained Healthcare system
One policy that could be lobbied for by healthcare professionals is
regulation of TV commercials, WIC program