Prevention and Intervention of Childhood Obesity, Essay Example

Searching scholarly databases is crucial for obtaining sound information in order to become a better nurse. PubMed, a scholarly database that can be accessed at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed,  is one database that provides scholarly research on clinical practices and medicine, Larsen et al. (2006) conducted a study that examines how nursing practitioners used prevention practices to address child obesity; compare the preventative practices that nursing practitioners use by specialty in addition to awareness of child obesity prevention mandates; to identity the correlation between demographic variables of nursing practitioners and prevention practices; and to assess the barriers to and resources for the implementation of prevention practices. The authors used a sample of 99 family nursing practitioners and pediatric nursing practitioners from a certain geographical locale. Each participant filled out a questionnaire that focused on risk factors for childhood obesity in addition to prevention guidelines as devised by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The authors concluded that general pediatric or family practice nursing practitioners did not screen pediatric patients for their BMI-for-age levels on a consistent basis, which the AAP highly recommends. They were, however, encouraging parents to promote physical activity and health food choices within the home.  Nurse practitioners who were cognizant of the prevention guidelines were far more likely to implement various prevention strategies than those who worked in family practice setting and were not well-versed in the guidelines. Significant barriers to implementing prevention strategies for childhood obesity persist, including the American lifestyle, parental attitudes and perceptions, and a lack of family or nursing resources. Because childhood obesity continues to exponentially increase, it is crucial that nurse practitioners who work in family practice and pediatric settings take necessary steps to prevent, treat, and intervene when childhood obesity is present. Calculating a child’s BMI-for-age, intervening in the cases of children at risk, and assisting families cultivate healthy eating behaviors and physical fitness are necessary nursing practices.

Another database I used to search for research on childhood obesity was Sage Publications, which can be accessed at http://online.sagepub.com/, a database that is less specific to the nursing profession. However, it provides countless articles and studies related to nursing prevention and interventions for childhood obesity. Because it is not a nursing specific database, the results yielded primarily literature reviews that broached this topic. Berry et al. (2004) penned an article that critically analyzed and assessed extant evident pertaining to family-based interventions targeting childhood obesity. The authors used MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PSYCLIT searches between January 1980 and January 2004 on such interventions. Thirteen different studies were examined, and the interventions described therein used exercise, education, and behavioral interventions. Behavioral therapy interventions that targeted parents and children alike produced positive outcomes for weight. However, problem-solving interventions spawned mixed results, especially if such interventions involved both the children and the parents or just the children. The authors underscore the fact that almost all of the studies contain blaring methodological weaknesses.

 References

Berry, D., Sheehan, R., Heschel, R., Knafl, K., Melkus, G. & Grey, M. (2004). Family-based    interventions for childhood obesity: A review. 10(4), 429-449.

Larsen, L., Mandleco, B., Williams, M. & Tiedeman, M. (2006). Childhood obesity: Prevention practices of nurse practitioners. Journal of American Academy of Nursing Practices, 18(2), 70-79.