Child Obesity: The Parent Role NURS515

1. Peacemaker Mgboji
Megan Dingus
Pawn Johnson-Hunter
Ifeoma Dike
Katrina Hoadley
NURS515

2.  Childhood obesity is a serious issue that has
become the source of many illnesses for
young children and adolescents in the nation.
 This pandemic is introducing children to
sicknesses that were once common only in
adults.
 Many children today are being treated for
hypertension, diabetes, or high cholesterol.
 The percentage of obese children in the U.S.
has increased from 7% to nearly 18% within
the past thirty years (Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention [CDC], 2013).

3.  A few of the major influences that contribute to
childhood obesity are environment, lack of resources,
lack of education and decreased financial income.
 All of these hindrances are usually found in communities that
considered to be urban or low income.
 This project will demonstrate how obesity in children
has become a problem for this generation and possible
solutions to combat the pandemic.
 The following information is targeted at parents of
children who are 6-11 years old, as they play a major if
not central role in battling childhood obesity.

4.  Obesity in children is defined or diagnosed
when a child reaches above the 95th
percentile for body fat in their respective
age and gender according to the growth
chart.

5.  African Americans and Hispanic Americans are more
likely than the Caucasian children to be overweight
 Minority children are more likely than Caucasian
children to have health problems related to obesity
(Amico & Barbarito, 2012)

6. Although there are some genetic and hormonal
causes of childhood obesity, most of the time
it’s caused by kids eating too much and
exercising too little.
(Mayo Clinic, 2012)

7.  Rate of childhood obesity
 18.8% of children ages 6-13 are overweight
 This is more than 20% of the school children that
are at risk for obesity in the school
(Nies & McEwen, 2011)

8. Diet: Regularly eating high calorie foods, such as fast
foods, baked goods and vending machine snacks can
easily cause your child to gain weight. Loading up on
soft drinks containing sugar, candy, and dessert also can
cause weight gain.
Lack of exercise: Children who don’t exercise much
are more likely to gain weight because they don’t burn
calories through physical activity.
Inactive leisure activities, such as watching television
or playing video games, contribute to the problem.
(Mayo Clinic, 2012)

9. Family history: If your child comes from a family of
overweight people, he or she may be more likely to put on
excess weight, especially in an environment where high-
calorie food is always available and physical activity isn’t
encouraged.
Psychological factors: Some children overeat to cope with
problems or to deal with emotions, such as stress, or to fight
boredom.
Family factors: If many of the groceries you buy are
convenience foods, such as cookies, chips and other high-
calorie items, this can contribute to your child’s weight gain.
(Mayo Clinic, 2012)

10. Socioeconomic factors: Foods that won’t spoil
quickly, such as frozen meals, crackers and
cookies often contain a lot of salt and fats.
These foods are often less expensive or an
easier option than fresher, healthier foods.
(Mayo Clinic, 2012)

11.  Common medical consequences
 Obese children tend to be taller than peers, have
advanced bone ages, and mature faster
 Hyperlipidemia: excess of lipids in bloodstream
 Glucose intolerance and diabetes
 Less common medical consequences
 Hypertension
 Pseudotumor Cerebri: increased intracranial
pressure
 Sleep Apnea
 Orthopedic complications (Dietz, 1998, p. 519)

12.  Parents have more influence over their child’s
weight than they may initially think
 For example, a study on 60 obese children (aged
6-11 years) was performed
 Anthropometric measurements and biochemical tests
were completed for both parents and children
 Hour long education sessions were held for both the
parents in the experimental group and the children in
the conventional group
 Great changes were observed between the two groups
in reduction of exposure to food stimuli and in eating
habits (eating while standing, watching TV, etc)
(Golan, Fainaru, & Weizman, 1998, p.1217)

13.  Mean weight reduction was much higher in
experimental group (parent-only treatment)
than conventional group (child-only)
treatment)
 The experiment concluded that “treatment
of childhood obesity with the parents as the
agents of change induces more behavior
changes as well as weight loss than the
conventional approach” in which children are
responsible for their own weight loss.
(Golan, Fainaru, & Weizman, 1998, p.1217)

14.  In another study, the Framingham Children’s
Study, children were monitored with a device
called the Caltrac accelerometer
 The study found that children of active mothers
were twice as likely to be active themselves
 When both parents were active, these children
were 5.8 times more likely to be active than
children of two sedentary parents.
 Thus, parents help shape the lifestyle of
their children as well by setting a healthy
example
(Gortmaker, Kim, Lindsay, & Sussner, 2006, p.4)

15.  Another study was completed in which a
conventional (child treatment only) group was
compared with an interventional (parent
treatment only) group
 Child Treatment Only Group: children were prescribed
a diet; 30 group sessions held
 Parent Treatment Only Group: 14 1-hour support and
educational sessions; all suggested changes intended
for entire family
 Participants were followed up 1, 2, and 7 years
later
 Seven years after the program terminated, mean
reduction in children’s overweight was 29% in the
parent-only group vs. 20.2% in the children-only group
(Golan & Crow, 2003, p. 357)

16.  In an alternate article describing a similar
experiment with elementary school-aged
kids, it was noted that “the parents-only
group showed a significant improvement in
reduction of overall obesogenic habits in the
house compared with the parent and child
group.”
 Focusing on educating parents on nutrition
has a great effect on the prevention of
obesity and unhealthy habits.
(Golan, Kaufman, & Shahar, 2008, p. 1008)

17. According to the World Health
Organization (WHO):
 Obesity has doubled since the 1980’s.
 65% of the world’s population is overweight or
obese.
 60% of children who are overweight before puberty
will remain overweight as adults.
(WHO, 2013))

18.  The key is to eat nutrition-rich foods such as fruits,
vegetables, dairy, and protein. The USDA also
recommends the moderation of fats, carbohydrates
and processed foods.
 The next slide is from www.choosemyplate.gov and
gives a recommendation on the plate serving size for
each food group.
 It maybe beneficial to print it out and put it on the
refrigerator for reference or you can contact a
pediatrician or dietician for more information.
(United States Department of Agriculture, 2013)

19.  There are many benefits to physical activity.
In addition to helping combat obesity, it also
increases muscle mass, decreases fat,
improves mood and sleep and helps promote
a general sense of wellness.
 According to the USDA, it is recommended
school aged children receive 60 minutes of
physical activity each day and that it be
moderate to vigorous in intensity.
(United States Department of Agriculture, 2013)

20. A great way to get your child to move more is
to make it a social event!
 Take a walk after dinner.
 Encourage involvement in recreational
and/or after school programs.
 Get the family involved…better yet get the
community involved!
 Making it a fun thing will help your child look
forward to it and encourages them to want
to do it on their own.
(United States Department of Agriculture, 2013)

21.  The most important thing in addition to
teaching about a healthier lifestyle with good
eating habits and physical activity is by
following the guidelines yourself.
 Be sure to discuss your new healthier
lifestyle plan with your doctor.
(United States Department of Agriculture, 2013)

22.  The previously described experiment supports the fact
that parents have a huge role to play in battling
childhood obesity
 In addition to seeking advice from the family doctor or
the child’s pediatrician, parents can also utilize the
internet to their advantage
 www.choosemyplate.gov is one site that the United States
Department of Agriculture sponsors to provide nutritional
information to children and their families
 Parents who have accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and other
popular social networking sites can follow nutritional pages
for day to day advice
 There is a plethora of articles, slideshows, and videos that
can provide nutritional ideas

23.  Parents play an extremely significant role in
preventing childhood obesity.
 By gaining a firm understanding in their
children’s dietary practices, physical activity,
sedentary behaviors, and more, parents can
learn how to create a healthful environment
for their children.
 New interventions in childhood obesity
should shift their focus to parents rather
than children in order to see greater
improvements.

24. Amico, D., Barbarito, C., (2012). Health and Physical Assessment in Nursing (2nd ed.) Upper Saddle,
NJ: Prentice Hall.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Adolescent and School Health. Retrieved
from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm
Dietz, W. H. (1998). Health consequences of obesity in youth: Childhood predictors of adult disease.
PEDIATRICS, 101.
Golan, M., & Crow, S. (2004). Targeting parents exclusively in the treatment of childhood obesity:
Long-term results. Obesity Research, 12(2), 357-361.
Golan, M., Fainaru, M., & Weizman, A. (1998). Role of behaviour modification in the treatment of
childhood obesity with the parents as the exclusive agents of change. International Journal of
Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 1217-1224.
Golan, M., Kaufman, V., & Shahar. (2006). Childhood obesity treatment: Targeting parents exclusively
v. parents and children. British Journal of Nutrition, 1008-1015.

25. Lindsay, A. C., Sussner, K. M., Kim, J., & Gortmaker, S. (2006). The role of parents in preventing
childhood obesity. The Future of Children, 16, 169-186.
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2012). Childhood obesity. Retrieved from
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/childhood-obesity/DS00698
Nies. M., & McEwen, M., (2011). Community/Public Health Nursing: Promoting the health of populations
(5Th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders/Elsevier.
United States Department of Agriculture. (2013). Healthy eating tips. Retrieved from Choose My Plate
website: http://www.choosemyplate.gov
World Health Organization. (2013). The challenge of obesity: Quick statistics. Obesity.