Childhood Obesity

In the community, nurses serve an important role in the fight against childhood obesity. In the community setting, a nurse is able to assess the preexisting knowledge of a child and their family. They are also able to follow a family over a long period of time than is allotted in the pediatrician’s office or hospital. Most children only see their nurses in the pediatrician’s office once a year. If it is a hospital admission in which the nurse is seeing that child, the nurse may never see that child ever again. Thus, community nurses have an advantage over other nurses because they are able to witness the child and his or her family outside of the hospital, a doctor’s office, or school. They can assess the knowledge of a child and their families, which may involve a child’s increasing BMI. The community nurse can then educate the family, help them make adjustments to their lifestyles, and follow-up with the family more readily compared to a school or hospital nurse.

The community nurse must understand that there are many variables influencing the prevalence of childhood obesity. Some of these factors are race and ethnicity, environmental influences, parental knowledge, and dietary habits. “According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), increases in childhood obesity were particularly marked in Mexican American and African American children” (Berkowitz & Borchard, 2009, p.2). Also:

The literature cites numerous environmental factors that are likely to affect an individual’s ability to effectively sustain health behaviors. Individual financial means to acquire healthy foods, as well as the distance individuals live from both healthy and unhealthy food sources undoubtedly play a role in the maintenance...

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... need for a clinic, transportation to a clinic, or another plan in which the children are able to be seen by a healthcare provider.

The community nurse plays a much different role in the fight against childhood obesity than the average hospital nurse. Her plan of care involves steps that will be implemented as a long term plan. She also has the advantage of a family based approach and intervention. She is able to closely follow the children, the changes that are being implemented, and analyze the outcomes. The role of a community nurse in the fight against childhood obesity is one that may go unnoticed, but is one that can make a great difference.

Works Cited

Berkowitz, B., & Borchard, M., (2009). Advocating for the prevention of childhood obesity: A call to action for nursing. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 14(1), 1-9. doi: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol14No1Man02