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Childhood Obesity
Veronica Franco
October 5, 2017
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Childhood Obesity
Over the years, childhood obesity has become a serious issue for the United States. More
children are susceptible to developing other conditions such as diabetes, and hypertension
because of obesity. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), today,
the number of children with childhood obesity is three times higher than that of 1970 and one in
five school children are considered obese (2017). As healthcare providers, it is important to
maintain and promote the safety of our patients and obesity can pose a threat to the health of
many. The pathway or standard or care that can aid in maintaining an appropriate nursing
practice is the Obesity Prevention and Management Pathway. According to the Childrens
Hospital of Philadelphia, this pathway aims at incrementing visits to healthcare providers starting
at 2 years old and following guidelines according to the childs Body Mass Index (BMI) (2017).
The article Combating obesity: Teaching children to eat right, explains the importance
of educating the younger population about proper nutrition in order to combat obesity (Cook, et
al., 2017). According to the article, the perfect medium for obesity is developed by the
individuals lifestyle, culture, and nutritional habits such as consuming foods high in sugar
(Cook, et al., 2017). Developing proper interventions in order to aid children in consuming
nutritious foods is necessary. The amount of children ages 6-11 whom have been diagnosed as
obese has increased from 6.5% to 19.6% since 1980 (Cook, et al., 2017). Obesity not only affects
Following the Healthy People 2020 goals in incorporating healthy lifestyles by providing
proper education to schools of all levels is important (Cook, et al., 2017). Certain initiatives have
been taken place in order to aid in the creation of balanced nutrition to the younger populations.
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The National School Lunch Program provided by the government is able to provide free or
deduced meals to children depending on their economic level (Cook, et al., 2017). Other
initiatives that have been created include the Farm to school program, which, brings vegetables
and fruits from farms to schools, or community farms, which allow individuals to have access to
fresh produce (Cook, et al., 2017). Children and adults are able to participate and engage in
planting and harvesting fruits and vegetables. Many of these programs offer education about
The article The potential and reality of physical education in controlling overweight and
obesity provides information about the impact of childrens activity on their reduction of
obesity (Kahan & McKenzie, pg.653, 2015). Overweight and obesity has increased significantly
over the years and children are more vulnerable in developing conditions such as type two
diabetes and metabolic syndrome (Kahan & Mckenzie, 2015). Engaging children in physical
activity is essential in incrementing their wellbeing. According to the article, the US Department
of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) advises that children should exercise for an average
of 60 minutes per day (Kahan & Mckenzie, 2015). Schools play an integral part in engaging
children in such activities. Involving children in physical education (PE) classes is a mandatory
rule to schools all throughout the nation (Kahan & McKenzie, 2015). Unfortunately, the amount
of time children should be engaged in physical activity has not been established nationwide.
Only only 19 states have provided the exact number of minutes that the children in the schools
have engaged in exercise (Kahan & Mckenzie, 2015). It is important that energy expenditure
(EE) should be greater than the amount of food consumed in order for weight management to
The studys result showed that EE differ from state to state (Kahan & Mckenzie, 2015).
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According to Kahan & McKenzie, the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and New Jersey,
showed a yearly EE of 1,466,758, which was 5 times higher than that of the state of Hawaii
(2015). Students, who exercised according to the guidelines established by the National
association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), were able to generate an EE of 35,000-
90,000 greater than those who did not engage in any type of exercises and only received class
instructions (Kahan & Mckenzie, 2015). The study proved that implementing physical activity
among school children increases the amount of EE and in turn aid in the management of
The article is able to meet the guidelines of a quantitative study. The purpose of the study
was to examine the effects that school activity has on the reduction of childhood obesity (Kahan
& Mckenzie, 2015). The independent variable identified is the amount of physical activity and
the dependent or outcome variable is obesity through energy expedited (Salerno & Young,
2013). The study conducted was a descriptive non-experimental since the researchers collected
the data but did not apply any interventions, and was not a randomized controlled trial (Salermo
& Young, 2013). The purposive sample in the research article included both boys and girls
between the ages of 6 through 15 (Kahan & Mckenzie, 2015). The researchers used the
guidelines from NASPE and those of 19 states in order to determine EE from school physical
activity (Kahan & Mckenzie, 2015). They used several formulas and calculations to determine
the amount of EE while taking the frequency and duration, PA intensity during lessons, class
size, and childrens body mass into consideration (Kahan & Mckenzie, pg.654, 2015). The
article provided tables explaining the yearly EE from all school levels, and figures explaining
how EE was calculated and different numerical and analytical data was provided throughout the
article.
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One study that aids in learning the importance of childhood obesity control is A
systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of lifestyle modification on metabolic control
in overweight children (Lien, et al., 2017). Maintaining a healthy and balanced life is an
essential component of the standard of care. Consuming appropriate servings of fruits and
vegetables while engaging in physical activities is essential. The study included eight randomly
controlled trials with a population of 3,923 children whose aim was to determine whether
lifestyle changes could aid in maintaining an appropriate Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) and aid
in preventing type 2 diabetes (Lien, et al., 2017). The children who were engaged in improving
their lifestyle, showed a lower FPG, BMI, and insulin levels compared to those who didnt
overweight and obese children and adolescents aimed at determining how helping children
change their lifestyle could affect their weight (Mameli, et al., 2017). The study included 864
children between the ages of 2 and 18 years of age who agreed to monitor their BMI while
following a specific weight management intervention (Mameli, et al., 2017). During the process
of lifestyle remodeling, children were offered nutritional, medical, and psychological guidance
from experts (Mameli, et al., 2017). The result of the study confirmed that improving ones
lifestyle could aid in controlling weight. More than 80% of the patients showed a reduction of
their BMI, 18% of the patients changed from an obese to an overweight status, and 13.1%
Family plays an important role in engaging children in healthy habits. Another study
adolescents, aims at determining the effects of following a specific diet on children who are
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overweight (Ranucci, et al., 2017). The study examined results of 74 children in relation to their
adherence to a Mediterranean diet, which involves consuming more fruits, vegetables, healthy
fats, and less red meat. They examined the childs waist to height ratio and BMI in relation to the
diet and physical activities (Ranucci, et al., 2017). The results of the study showed a great
reduction in the childrens weight, BMI, waist circumference, and level of fat (Ranucci, et al.,
2017).
All of the studies summarized above, contribute to the importance of monitoring children
and engaging them in a healthy and balanced diet. The Obesity Prevention and Management
Pathway aim at managing and reducing overweight and obese childrens risk for developing
their parents and ensure that they are maintaining a proper lifestyle and share the best practices in
order to better treat our pediatric population. As for future research intervention, it is important
to conduct research on the different parenting styles and determine how children education plays
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2017, January 25). Childhood obesity facts. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/obesity/facts.htm
Cook, S., Gerber, S., Heines, K., Martin, C., Reeder, B., Schmidt, S., & ... Wimsatt, S. (2017).
Combating Obesity: Teaching Children to Eat Right. Kentucky Nurse, 65(2), 10-11. Retrieved
Kahan, D., & McKenzie, T. L. (2015). The Potential and Reality of Physical Education in Controlling
doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.302355
Lien, A. S., Tsai, J., Lee, J., Wu, M., Jiang, Y., & Yen, H. (2017). A systematic review and meta-
doi:10.1155/2017/5681909
Mameli, C., Krakauer, J. C., Krakauer, N. Y., Bosetti, A., Ferrari, C. M., Schneider, L., & ... Zuccotti, G.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0181095
Ranucci, C., Pippi, R., Buratta, L., Aiello, C., Gianfredi, V., Piana, N., & ... Mazzeschi, C. (2017).
Salerno, E., Young, A. (2013). Making a difference with nursing research. Upper Saddle River, New
Jersey: Pearson
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