A Child Health Issue Associated With a 12-15 Year Old Adolescent, Essay Example

As sedentary lifestyles become increasingly common, more and more children are becoming obese. This is an unfortunate occurrence because not only is this health status avoidable, obesity is closely linked to a variety of other health concerns such as type II diabetes (Rotella et al., 2013). As a consequence of changing diet and tendency towards exercise, many children are becoming at risk for diseases that the population did not typically get until adulthood. Therefore, it is important to gain a better understanding of the health trends that contribute to obesity to determine how it could be reasonably avoided in the population. In particular, children between the ages of 12 and 15 are susceptible because these individuals are able to make a greater amount of health decisions on their own and spend a large portion of their time out of their parent’s care. It is therefore necessary for health care professionals to intervene and provide educational programs to school-aged children that will help them make better choices as they pertain to their individual health. By encouraging preteens to make healthier choices, we will be able to support a healthier population overall.

One of the first issues that are of concern for members of this population is the increased incidence of type II diabetes. Type II diabetes is closely associated with obesity and is important to avoid because it could cause irreversible damage in the pancreas. The increase prevalence of obesity in children and young adults is closely parallel in Type II diabetes. Type II diabetes is diagnosed when patients are unable to produce enough insulin or if they are unable to use it properly. Specifically, this relates to the lack of insulin production the destruction of insulin receptors. Overall, type II diabetes is an umbrella term for situations in which insulin cannot be used. The increased incidence of type II diabetes in children is interesting because this is a new trend; in previous years, children diagnosed with diabetes typically had type I diabetes due to genetic influences. On the other hand, type II diabetes is primarily environmental, which indicates that behavioural changes are triggering the disease onset in this patient population.

To better understand type II diabetes in children between the ages of 12 and 15, it is important to understand the intricacies of the biological process that contribute to the development of the disease. Insulin is typically made in the beta cells of the islet of Langerhans in the pancreas. Hormone signalling controls this process overall. While individuals with type II diabetes are born with functioning beta cells, these cells and associated tissues incur damage over their lifetime and are therefore unable to produce enough insulin or to use it in certain instances. Hyperglycemia and glucotoxicity are contributing factors to this destruction and result from many modern diets and lifestyle choices (Andel et al., 2014). Ultimately, when children eat diets that are high in sugar, they are causing damage to their insulin producing system.

According to a survey conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the obesity rate is 27% for children aged 12-15 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). An additional survey found that “The prevalence in women in the least disadvantaged areas was 48% compared with 64% in the most disadvantaged areas” (Commonwealth of Australia, 2014). Therefore, it is important to understand that income has an impact on the tendency for obesity. Individuals in low income areas are disproportionately impact by obesity. Research has indicated that this is due to the quality of food and lifestyles that these individuals often face. Therefore, health efforts can focus on these lifestyle differences to determine a better understanding of how obesity and related illness could be avoided in these disadvantaged areas.

Studies have also been conducted to determine the risk of obesity among different ethnicities. These studies have revealed that the indigenous population is at particularly high risk. “According to the Neel’s ‘thrifty’ genotype hypothesis, traditional populations with a hunter-gatherer lifestyle may have developed a degree of insulin resistance (a precursor of type 2 diabetes) in response to ‘feast or famine’ conditions” (Burns & Thomson, 2006). Therefore, theories exist that suggest that indigenous people are genetically predisposed for obesity. These genes are expressed more significantly due to environmental factors that exist in their current lives that were different from their time as hunter-gatherers. In particular, their genetics have difficulty coping with a more sedentary lifestyle and processed food diet. Thus, it is also important for public health professionals to focus on issues of obesity and related illnesses more significantly for members of certain demographics.

Epidemiological information from around the world indicates that minority populations are more likely to suffer from diabetes and obesity related illnesses as a whole. The prevalence of type II diabetes in children is of 0.07 per 1000 youth for the whole population and 0.12 per 1000 youth for minority subgroups (D’Adamo & Caprio, 2011). This demonstrates that while there is a genetic basis for obesity to an extent, environmental factors also come into play. Since children in low income areas, independently of their race, are subject to the lifestyles that are imposed on them by their parents, there is little opportunity for them to break free and engage in healthy activities if they are not actively promoted. Therefore, it is reasonable to implement programs in schools that will promote activity, including free after school programs for children from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

It is important to consider that health disparities are a major indicator of an unhealthy lifestyle. Overall, this is not the fault of the children. Many children in low income neighbourhoods are not provided with well-balanced meals. Many of these individuals are allowed to purchase their own foods because their parents spend a lot of time at work, which results in food choices that are high in sugar and fat. Over a period of time, unhealthy eating habits can negatively impact the body, contributing to the demise of cells that produce insulin. Furthermore, once these cells are damaged, they cannot be repaired. However, children between the ages of 12 and 15 cannot be aware of this without having a prior understanding from their parents. Therefore, it is important to bring this education to them more directly so they can learn to make health food and other lifestyle choices in spite of the busy work schedules or general lack of information of their parents.

To avoid obesity and the related diseases, nurses could reasonable provide individuals in at risk communities with information about healthy eating and dietary guidelines will help reduce risk for this disease. In addition, the parents of these children could be provided with similar information that will help them gain an understanding of how they could contribute to the health of their children in spite of their busy lifestyles. Health professionals and families could work together to design reasonable plans that will aid families across the country. In addition, health professionals could become partners with schools in order to contribute to the success of these programs. Health teachers could be provided with specialized training to work with education youth about health in these areas. In addition, it would be reasonable for health education programs to be incorporated into various aspects of the science or physical education curriculum.

Since nurses often spend the most time with patients, it is often their responsibility to determine what the needs of patients are and to provide them with information that will promote better health overall. While “nurses do not receive extensive education about nutrition… there are great opportunities for nurses in nutrition, both as educators and researchers. One way this can happen is through the use of nutrition assessment tools” (Henning, 2009). It is important for nurses to draw upon the use of these tools to best help their patients. One beneficial application is entitled the “Nutrition Analyzer” and can be used to readily detect dietary deficiencies in a number of patients. In this manner, nurses could make realistic suggestions pertaining to the health of their patients.

Furthermore, studies that have focused on providing information about diet and exercise to parents and children in low income neighbourhoods have found that “child nutrition knowledge and physical activity increased and television watching decreased; for boys, sleep problems decreased” as a consequence of the knowledge program (Dawson-McClure et al., 2014). It is also important to consider while obesity and related illnesses are major focuses of such programs, healthy diet and exercise also provide children with energy and contribute to a decrease of other unhealthy habits, such as excessive sleeping. In this particular study, the ParentCorps method was used (NYU School of Medicine, n.d.). While this program is based out of clinics in New York City, it would be reasonable to incorporate a similar program in Australia. Allowing local clinics to have some form of health and exercise education program for parents of young children would confer a significant benefit with regards to population health.

In addition to focusing specifically on obesity, it is also important to focus on its symptoms as well. Therefore, providing families with information about type II diabetes is also important when preventative measures are not sufficient. Low income families have a challenging time keeping up with regular visits to the clinic in addition to the expenses associated with regular diabetes care. Therefore, it is important for nurses to emphasize the necessity of these visits due to the health problems that could be caused if the diabetes is not monitored. Currently, too much focus is on reducing the factors that increase the risk of the disease; not much is being done about helping families afford treatments. Thus, it is important for nurses to advocate for this need in the community to make people understand that initiatives should be taken to help the children that need regular diabetes treatments. In addition, nurses must work as patient care advocates to help their patients gain government funded health care if they are eligible or other options if possible (Australian Taxation Services, n.d.).

Overall, it is apparent that the incidence of obesity and obesity related illnesses in Australia is preventable. This illness tends to disproportionately impact individuals from low income neighbourhoods and indigenous groups. It is therefore important to target intervention practices in these areas to maximize the efficiency with which education programs are distributed. Furthermore nurses in these areas need to be aware of these health concerns so they can better advocate for patient care within their health care setting. There are many tools that are available to help nurses provide nutrition and exercise suggestions to these populations. Overall, education should be provided to parents and the children because even though children between the ages of 12 and 15 are young, they are becoming more and more independent as they grow older and will soon benefit from an understanding of basic health concepts. Furthermore, providing this level of education will ensure that they are able to provide the same knowledge to their friends and family, helping ameliorate this growing epidemic. A majority of individuals between the ages of 12 and 15 that have diabetes could have avoided onset of the disease by consuming a healthier diet and by engaging in exercise. This demonstrates that it is valuable to begin teaching this understanding at a young age to prevent irreversible cell damages that occurs before most children reach their teen years. Obesity related illnesses are financially strenuous for low income individuals so increasing efforts to reduce disease onset is becoming more apparently necessary. If nurses put forth an effort, they will be able to markedly reduce this incidence of this disease among teenagers across the country.

References

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Australian Taxation Services. (n.d.). Medicare levy reduction for low-income earners. Retrieved from https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Medicare-levy/Medicare-levy-reduction-for-low-income-earners/

Burns J, Thomson N (2006). Summary of overweight and obesity among Indigenous peoples. Retrieved from http://www.healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au/health-risks/overweight-obesity/reviews/our-review

Commonwealth of Australia. (2014). Obesity: Prevalence Trends in Australia. Retrieved from http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/public-health/menzies-health-policy/publications/Evidence_Brief_Obesity_Prevalence_Trends_Australia.PDF

D’Adamo E, Caprio S. (2011). Type 2 Diabetes in Youth: Epidemiology and Pathophysiology. Diabetes Care, 34(2): S161-S165.

Dawson-McClure S, Brotman LM, Theise R, Palamar JJ, Kamboukos D, Barajas RG, Calzada (2014). Early childhood obesity prevention in low-income, urban communities. J Prev Interv Community, 42(2): 152-66.

Henning M. (2009). Nursing’s Role in Nutrition. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 27(5): 301-306.

NYU School of Medicine. (n.d.). About ParentCorps. Retrieved from http://www.med.nyu.edu/pophealth/divisions/cehd/parentcorps

Rotella CM, Pala L, Mannucci E. (2013). Role of Insulin in the Type 2 Diabetes Therapy: Past, Present and Future. International journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 11(3): 137–144.