Child Obesity: Public Health Strategies, Health Promotion, and Role of Nurses

CHILD OBESITY
KEY SUBJECT OF CHILD OBESITY
• As identified by National Child measurement programmes,
around 14.4% children aged between 4 – 5 year are found to
be obese along with 13.3% of them being overweight in the
year 2021. Also, children aged between 6 – 11 are obese to the
extent of 25.5% and 15.4% of them being overweight in the
year 2021.
• With regards to the statistics related to child obesity during
the year 2019 and 2020, it has been found out that the rate of
obesity among kids of 2 to 19 year has increased to 22.4% in
2020 from 19.3% associated with 2019. This is because of
increased screen time and too little physical activities with the
outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.
(Obesity Statistics. 2022)
PUBLIC HEALTH
• Public health can be defined as the science or practice of improving
& protecting the community’s health through health education,
controlling communicable disease, preventive medicine, application
of sanitary measures along with monitoring hazards associated with
the environment.
• Child obesity is one of the major public health issue leading to
premature death & even disability in adulthood. Children who are
obese & overweight are prone to developing non-communicable
disease in adulthood which involves cardiovascular disease and
diabetes. (Local Government Association. 2021)
REFERENCE
Books & Journals
Lanigan, J., Tee, L. and Brandreth, R., 2019. Childhood obesity. Medicine, 47(3), pp.190-194.
Burton, W., and et.al., 2019. Participant engagement with a UK community-based preschool childhood
obesity prevention programme: a focused ethnography study. BMC Public Health, 19(1), pp.1-14.
Davies, S., Mytton, O. and Pawson, E., 2019. Time to solve childhood obesity: an independent report by
the Chief Medical Officer, 2019 Professor Dame Sally Davies.
Online
Childhood obesity campaign. 2021. [Online]. Available through <
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/childhood-obesity-campaign>
Childhood Obesity: a Plan for Action. 2021. [Online]. Available through <
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/54658
8/Childhood_obesity_2016__2__acc.pdf
>
Local Government Association. 2021. [Online]. 2021. Available through <
https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/obesity-crisis-type-2-diabetes-children-nearly-half-five-years>
Obesity Statistics. 2022. [Online]. Available through <
https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN03336/SN03336.pdf#page=11&zoom=100,2
28,90
>
Potential mechanisms in childhood obesity: causes and prevention. 2021. [Online]. Available through <
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK565802/>
Health Promotion
The health promotion for child obesity involves
the following:
• Identification of nutritional needs
• Identification of foods to ensure caloric
balance
• Offering nutritional education
• Behavioral research conduction
• Planning and evaluating dietary interventions
Changes in health promotion across
lifespan
• Health promotion in Children & Adolescents:
health promotion can be done though
providing healthy meals and daily physical
activity.
• Health promotion in Young and middle – aged
adults: For this age group, health promotion
can be done through Stress reduction and
optimal sleep to prevent obesity.
• Health promotion in Elderly adult: At this
phase of life, health promotion can be done
through home care services and hiring a
counselor to prevent obesity
(Potential mechanisms in childhood obesity:
causes and prevention. 2021)
Public health strategy
• Introduction of additional levies for soft
drink industry.
• Taking out sugar from all products to the
extent of 20%.
• Innovational support to assist businesses
in producing healthier products.
• Making available healthy food options
across the whole public sector
(Childhood obesity campaign. 2021)
Health inequality
Child obesity is considered as the progressive chronic disease featuring overweight impairing
health. Also, there are high probability of a child being exposed to life time disease such as
cancer, type 2 diabetes, poor quality of life and eventually lead to premature death.
(Burton, W., and et.al., 2019)
Key drivers influencing public health policy
Majorly, there are four key drivers that are identified as influencing the public health policy
with respect to child obesity, such as the following:
• Socioeconomic status, family environment & parenting
• Lifestyle factors
• Genetic factors
• Risk factors or prenatal factors at early life stages
(Childhood Obesity: a Plan for Action. 2021)
Public health role of nurse
• A very significant role played by nurse in raising the issue with regards to child obesity
among the obese child to reduce their consequences, such as the following:
• Nurses can help children and their parents by offering nutritional advice to ensure selection
of healthy food options and what avoiding consumption of unhealthy foods.
• By offering weight management programmes to indicate techniques for reducing weight,
exercise programs, changes in dietary intake and other behavioral modifications.
• By offering strategies related to increased physical activity and decreasing calories intake.
• By acting as a role model through educating children and parents on nutrition, obesity
related illness and the health care system. They can also provide personalized counselling by
assisting obese children in identifying health goals & developing plans to attain the same.
(Lanigan, Tee and Brandreth, 2019)
Meaning of primary, secondary and tertiary
Primary: Primary intervention includes efforts in
healthy directions for influencing activity and
eating behavior of children.
Secondary: Secondary prevention includes
directed efforts for children who are at greater risk
of becoming obese.
Tertiary: Tertiary prevention involves prevention of
the consequences through appropriate treatment.
(Davies, S., Mytton, O. and Pawson, E., 2019)