Obesity in Pediatric Population

Obesity in Pediatric Population

Introduction

Pediatric obesity is a complex health issue. It is among the most significant health threats of the 21^st century. It has become a global health issue that mostly affects low and middle-income countries. Economic factors such as levels of income and education in developing countries have been found to increase the prevalence of childhood obesity. Statistics by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States indicate that more than 18.5% of children have obesity across the states. The prevalence was lower among the high-income groups. Other factors, such as an individual’s behavior and genetics, have also been found to increase pediatric obesity prevalence.

Childhood obesity is a significant concern in nursing. It poses considerable health risks among children. Some of the long-term health risks include cardiovascular diseases and type-2 diabetes (Mirza & Yanovski, 2019). Also, pediatric obesity presents immediate health risks to children. For instance, an obese child is more susceptible to operative complications and respiratory problems. An overweight child may also be vulnerable to medication dosing errors that may put their life at risk (Mirza & Yanovski, 2019). It is, therefore, crucial for nurses and other medical practitioners to prevent pediatric obesity to control the health risks that it poses. The nurses can achieve this by advocating for the prevention of childhood obesity.

What Has Been Done to Curb Pediatric Obesity

The rapid increase in pediatric obesity in recent years has prompted governments and global health organizations to come up with strategies to prevent it. Pediatric obesity is considered to be a serious public health issue that requires a collaborative intervention to mitigate. The United States government has been on the lead to prevent childhood obesity. Major strategies and policies implemented across the United States have facilitated the prevention of childhood obesity.

For instance, in 2010, The Healthy, Hunger-Free Act of 2010 was signed into law (Cohen & Schwartz, 2020). The federal statute reauthorized funding of federal school meals and other child nutrition programs for five years. The bill provided a sum of $4.5 billion that would be used to fund child nutrition programs for over ten years. The aim of the law was to ensure access to healthy food for school going children from low-income families. The statute gave the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) authority to set nutritional standards for meals sold in learning institutions. The legislation then set the canons for school wellness policies that would ensure healthy children (Cohen & Schwartz, 2020). Nutrition promotion and physical activity policies were some of the strategies that the bill identified for implementation in the learning institutions.  The schools were, however, allowed to tailor the policies to meet their specific needs. The Act promoted nutrition and wellness in all childcare settings, a move that would significantly reduce pediatric obesity prevalence.

In October 2013, USADin accordance with The Healthy, Hunger-Free Act of 2010 released the Smart Snacks in School Standards. The new nutritional standards required schools to sell healthy snacks and beverages to learners (Cohen & Schwartz, 2020). The policy aimed to curb weight gain in children as a result of taking high-calorie snacks. In the following months, schools across the United States enacted legislation that ensured the provision of healthy diets to children during school days. The federal school reimbursements funded programs that provided healthy meals to the children.  The Federal and State governments have been continually working together to ensure the provision of healthy foods in schools across the United States. The increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among the pediatric population, however, remains a substantial health threat.

Solutions to Prevent Obesity Prevalence in the Pediatric Population

Population-wide Policies and Initiatives: – The government can come up with policies that create a healthy environment. The policies establish preventive laws and regulations that curtail factors that promote childhood obesity (Bellew, Bauman, et al., 2019). For instance, restrictions on the marketing and sale of unhealthy food to children would create a safe food environment. Likewise, restricting the sale of unhealthy drinks such as alcoholic beverages would facilitate the creation of a nontoxic food environment for children. Regulations on unhealthy foods and drinks can also be achieved through food taxes and subsidies. The government can also come up with policies that curb barriers to physical activity. The school environment would be a potential target for such a policy to ensure that learners are involved in physical activities.

Community-Based Interventions: – The state can actively involve community members in preventive interventions. Studies indicate that community-based strategies are particularly useful when implemented in community settings such as schools and childcare facilities (Hennessy, Korn, & Economos, 2019). For instance, promoting healthy diets and physical activity in early childcare settings would go a long way in the reduction of childhood obesity. The community leaders and other stakeholder groups are crucial participants in community-based interventions. Involving the target populations in these interventions would ensure that the strategies address their specific needs.

Programs that can Help Prevent Pediatric Obesity:-Programs that focus on diet and physical activity would be useful in the prevention of pediatric obesity. The environment is a significant contributor to pediatric obesity risk. It would, therefore, be essential to implement programs that promote a positive environment to reduce obesity prevalence. Afterschool programs for children that promote healthy dieting and exercise would lessen the incidence of obesity in the pediatric population (Nerud, & Steiner, 2018). For instance, integrating a 30 minutes program of moderate to vigorous physical activity after school day would be a great start. The frequency of the exercise can be twice or thrice per week at first. As the children adapt to the program, it can be implemented for all school days. The initiative would ensure that the school going children remain physically active, thus reducing their vulnerability to obesity.

A diet based program that would diminish pediatric obesity would be the prohibition of sugar-sweetened beverages is a school setting. Serving children with clean drinking water in the afternoon would be a significant substitute for unhealthy drinks. As well, a school can adopt a program where fruits and vegetables are served as snacks in place of processed foods with high-calorie levels. Implementing the two programs would promote a healthy school environment, thus reducing obesity prevalence.

Also, community-based training of the school staff members and other community members would promote healthy lifestyles in the community. The training would equip the community members and the staff with skills that would enable them to address barriers to the reduction of pediatric obesity prevalence (Nerud, & Steiner, 2018). Similarly, the training sessions would promote the development and implementation of programs that would promote adequate physical activities and healthy dieting in the pediatric population.

Evaluation of the Outcome of the Programs

Program evaluation is essential since it provides accountability and evidence of the program’s effectiveness.  A documented assessment would be the most effective evaluation method of the program’s outcome (Nabors, Welker, et al., 2018).  I would, therefore, develop an evaluation plan that identifies the assessment indicators, measures, and methods of data collection. I would then use the assessment tools to collect data from the target population for evaluation. It would be crucial to organize and store the collected data in a systematic manner to facilitate effective data analysis.

Dissemination of the Findings

Once the evaluation is complete, it would be essential to disseminate the findings to the relevant stakeholders for action. The results would provide vital information on the success or failure of the implemented programs (Hennessy, Korn, & Economos, 2019). The stakeholders would then decide on whether to abolish or improve the program to ensure successful intervention. I would disseminate the findings primarily through a research report issued to the stakeholders. The report would contain the research data used to come up with the findings to act as evidence of the effectiveness of the programs. I would also use a presentation to explain the research findings to relevant stakeholders. A presentation during a stakeholders meeting would allow me to explain all the dynamics of the program evaluation process.

In conclusion, due to its detrimental impacts on the well-being of children, there is an urgent need to take precautionary measures to reduce pediatric obesity prevalence. Both the government and the society have a role to play in ensuring effective prevention of childhood obesity. The government has the role of developing preventive policies while the society puts those policies to work for the well-being of the children. The largest percentage of pediatric population spends most hours in the learning institutions and childcare centers. These institutions therefore have a significant role in reduction of pediatric obesity prevalence

References

Bellew, W., Bauman, A., Kite, J., Foley, B., Reece, L., Thomas, M., … & King, L. (2019). Obesity prevention in children and young people: what policy actions are needed?. Public health research & practice, 29(1).

Cohen, J., & Schwartz, M. B. (2020). Documented Success and Future Potential of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Mirza, N. M., & Yanovski, J. A. (2019). Prevalence and consequences of pediatric obesity. Handbook of Obesity: Epidemology, Etiology, and Physiopathology; Bray, GA, Bouchard, C., Eds, 55-74.

Nabors, L., Welker, K., Pavilack, B., Lang, M., Hawkins, R., & Bauer, A. (2018). Evaluation of an After-School Obesity Prevention Program for Children. International Journal of Child Health and Nutrition, 7(1), 1-8.

Nerud, K., & Steiner, M. (2018). Training Staff of Afterschool Programs on Healthy Eating and Physical Activity: Opportunity to Reduce Childhood Obesity. Pedagogy in Health Promotion, 2373379918811826.

World Health Organization. (2018). Population based approaches to childhood obesity prevention. Geneva: 2012.