Childhood Obesity

By

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION4

RESEARCH AIMS AND OBJECTIVES9

Aims9

Objectives9

RESEARCH QUESTIONS9

DISSERTATION LAYOUT9

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW9

CORRELATES OF OBESITY9

Socio-demographic Variables Influence Childhood Obesity9

Race/Ethnicity and Gender9

Socioeconomic Characteristics9

Schools9

PARENT-PROVIDER COMMUNICATION9

PARENTAL PERCEPTIONS OF CHILD FEEDING AND OBESITY9

INTERACTIVE HEALTH COMMUNICATION9

PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN PRIMARY CARE9

CDC'S INITIATIVES IN PREVENTION OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY9

HEALTHY EATING PATTERN OF CHILDREN9

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY9

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS9

QUALITATIVE RESEARCH9

INSTRUMENT9

METHODS9

LIMITATIONS9

TIMELINE9

REFERENCES9

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Childhood overweight and obesity adversely affects short-term and long-term quality of life indicators. Obese and overweight adolescents are more likely to have limitations in attending school, difficulty in doing strenuous work, and problems performing household chores. Overweight youths are more likely to have weight troubles during adulthood than the ones with normal weight. If overweight children continue to be overweight as adults, they may face limited choices of occupation and eventually this could have financial implications. Pediatric obesity within the United States (US.) has reached epidemic proportions (Winick, 2005). Obesity, which is commonly referred as overweight within the pediatric population, has become one of the most common chronic illnesses among children. Past research studies have found overweight children are likely to become overweight or obese adults. An overweight child has a 70% chance of being obese in adulthood (Wang, 2001).

To actively engage in obesity prevention, parents must be able to identify a child who has a weight problem and demonstrated concern about the potential consequences. Efforts against obesity are complicated by the fact that many parents do not realize or refuse to acknowledge that their child is overweight or obsessed. Only one out of five mothers who recognizes her own obesity is able to correctly identify her child's state of weight. When parents fail to recognize a child is overweight or obsessed, weight-loss discussions and interventions will not be effective. Young children are seen frequently by healthcare professionals for scheduled preventative care (United States Department of Health and Human Services National Center for Health Statistics, 2000). The health care system can act as a powerful and influential setting for interventions aimed at reducing the prevalence of overweight and obese children.

Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are crucial members of the healthcare system capable of educating parents on the importance of promoting healthy weight within the pediatric population. Education and discussions about weight may help parents to become better informed and more likely to recognize weight issues in children at an early age. As a member of the healthcare team, the NP plays a central role in identifying overweight and obese children. Nurse Practitioners act in a manner to facilitate parental awareness of weight problems. By approaching childhood weight issues in a non judgmental, blame-free manner; parents are more likely to be opened to discussions. Participation of parents in obesity prevention, diagnosis, and treatment discussion increases awareness of the devastating effects of obesity. By working closely with families, the NP can assess the family's readiness to identify and confront a child's weight problem. The role of the NP in obesity education is to assist parents to understand the link between excess weight and preventable illness ...