Childhood

Obesity
Nicole Woodman

I have neither given nor received aid, other than

acknowledged, on this assignment or test, nor have I seen
anyone else do so. NMW

What is Obesity?
Obesity is calculated from using the childs
height and weight to determine body mass
index (BMI).
Overweight is a BMI above the 85th
percentile and below the 95th percentile for
children of the same age and sex
Obesity is a BMI at or above the 95th
percentile for children of the same age
and sex
Overweight and obesity are the result of a
caloric imbalance.
(Basics About Childhood

What is Obesity?
Childhood obesity has more than
doubled in children and quadrupled
in adolescents in the past 30 years.
In 2012, more than one third of
children and adolescents were
overweight or
obese.
An estimated 17% of children and
adolescents
aged 2-19 years had
(Childhood
Obesity Facts, 2014)
obesity.

What is Childhood Obesity?

It is the result of eating too many
calories and not getting enough
exercise or physical activity.

(Childhood Obesity Facts, 2014)

bethwarrennutrition.
com

Early Life Risk Factors

Birth weight
Parental obesity
Sleep duration
Catch-up growth
Early adiposity

Television
viewing
Size early in life
Weight gain in
infancy
BMI rebound

Pocock, Trivedi, Wills, Bunn, & Magnusson,

2010

Environmental Risk Factors

Sugary drinks on school campuses
Advertisement of less healthy foods
Lack of daily physical activity in
schools
Community parks could be unsafe
Increasing portion size
Lack of breastfeeding support
Television and media
(Childhood Obesity Facts, 2014)

Primary Prevention
Prevention of overweight children starts at
birth.
Exclusive breastfeeding and the introduction
of solid food until 6 months of age are known
to be protective against the development of
overweight children.
Primary health care providers are
encouraged to provide families with
healthy behavior education and use
techniques to motivate patients
and
families (Pocock et al., 2010).

Primary Prevention Contd

Studies suggest that parental support
of healthy behaviors positively impact
the child.
Preventative strategies should focus
on parental influence and should start
an early age (Pocock et al., 2010).

momsmagazine.com

What Can Parents Do?

Limit media time to 1-2 hours
per day
Work with schools to limit sugary drinks
and high fat items or pack a lunch!
Provide plenty of fruits and vegetables
make sure there are options!
Serve water with meals
Encourage physical activity each day
hide vegetables in childrens meals if
necessary
(Strategies and Solutions, 2014)

Secondary Prevention
According to the US Preventive Services
Task Force Recommendation Statement
(USPSTF), clinicians should screen children
aged 6 years and older for obesity and

refer them to counseling and

behavioral interventions to improve
weight status.

The USPSTF indicates that body mass

index is an acceptable measurement to
identify children with excess weight (U.S.
Preventative Task Force, 2010).

Secondary Prevention
Contd
The Lets Move initiative, funded by
The White House, has given
providers the internet-based
resources for BMI, diet, and activity
screening in primary care, plus
counseling and advocacy tools to
provide screening services to
children and their families (Haemer
et al., 2011).

Tertiary Prevention
Obesity treatment for children primarily
takes place in tertiary referral centers.
Referral to a treatment center takes
place in the primary care providers
office (Haemer et al., 2011).
According to the USPSTF, effective
comprehensive weight-management
programs included counseling and
interventions targeting diet and
physical activity (U.S. Preventative
Task Force, 2010).

Tertiary Prevention Contd

Behavioral management techniques
were
also used to assist in behavior
change (U.S. Preventative Task Force,
2010).

Tertiary Prevention Contd

Weight loss by encouraging physical
activity and eating a healthy diet
Choose fruits and vegetables when
shopping for your household
Limit sweetened beverages
Sit down together for family meals
Serve appropriate portion sizes
Limit the number of times your child
eats out
(Childhood Obesity, 2014)

Tertiary Prevention Contd

Limit technology to no more than 2
hours per day
Emphasize activity, not exercise
Encourage activity by participating
with the child
Change the activities often and give
the child a choice of activity
(Childhood Obesity, 2014)

Long Term Consequences

Children that are obese are likely to be obese
as adults (Childhood Obesity Facts, 2014).
Obesity in children facilitates the
development of Type 2 Diabetes, high blood
pressure, and high cholesterol (Franks,
Hanson, Knowler, Sievers, Bennett, & Looker,
2010).
Obesity in children is associated with
many types of cancer in adults (Childhood
Obesity Facts, 2014).

Consequences Contd
Children that are obese are more
likely to suffer from the following
health problems as adults:
Heart disease
Stroke
osteoarthritis
(Childhood Obesity Facts, 2014)

Barriers to Prevention

Child preference to certain foods

Parents relying on fast food
Childrens preference to sedentary activity
Prolonged TV viewing
Fear of adversely affecting childs selfesteem
Parents not being a positive influence on
diet and exercise
Multiple children of different weights and
ages
Pocock, Trivedi, Wills, Bunn, & Magnusson,
2010

Nursing Recommendations
Parents are the biggest sphere of
influence for children. As a parent,
practicing healthy behaviors will
encourage your child to mimic your
healthy behaviors.
Prevention is key for chronic diseases,
if you feel your child is at risk discuss
this with your primary health care
provider.
Encourage physical activity for your child.

Nursing Recommendations
Contd
Your child has their height and
weight taken at every doctors
appointment. If you are concerned
about your childs weight ask your
doctor about the BMI and discuss
what this means for your child.

Recommendation
This practice recommended for
children with obesity and these nursing
interventions should be continuously
used to prevent and treat childhood
obesity.

References

http://www.free-power-point-templates.com/happy-kids-powerpoint-template/
Basics About Childhood Obesity. (2012). Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/
childhood/basics.html
Childhood obesity. (2014). Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseasesconditions/childhood-obesity/basics/treatment/con-20027428
Childhood Obesity Facts. (2014). Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/
facts.htm
Childhood Obesity Facts. (2014). Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/
childhood.html
Franks, P., Hanson, R., Knowler, W., Sievers, M., Bennett, P., & Looker, H. (2010). Childhood Obesity, Other
Cardiovascular Risk Factors, and Premature Death. New England Journal of Medicine, 362(6), 485-493.
Haemer, M., Cluett, S., Hassink, S., Liu, L., Mangarelli, C., Peterson, T., ... Weill, B. (2011). Building Capacity
for Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment in the Medical Community: Call to Action. Pediatrics,
128(2), S71-S77.
Pocock, M., Trivedi, D., Wills, W., Bunn, F., & Magnusson, J. (2010). Parental Perceptions Regarding Healthy
Behaviours For Preventing Overweight And Obesity In Young Children: A Systematic Review Of
Qualitative Studies. Obesity Reviews, (11), 338-353. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
Strategies and Solutions. (2014). Retrieved February 2, 2015, from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/
childhood/solutions.html
U.S. Preventative Services Task Force. Screening for Obesity in Children and Adolescents: US Preventative
Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. (2010). Pediatrics, 125(2), 361-367.