Health Assessment
A child’s environment may have a significant influence on his or her health. The health promotion and disease prevention strategies for such a child are dependent on the input of the parents or the caregiver. One of the conditions that continue to affect the American population is obesity. According to the CDC, close to 39% of adults within the United States suffer from obesity. The prevalence of childhood obesity is equally on the rise with a prevalence rate of 18.5% (Pérez‐Escamilla et al., 2017). It is essential for individuals to adopt healthy lifestyles to help in the prevention of obesity among adults and children. The paper aims at conducting a health assessment on a child who lives with obese/overweight parents to determine some of the risks that he might be presented to. Besides, the information on appropriate obesity prevention strategies is provided.
The provided case study provides information regarding a 5-year-old Asian girl with a normal parentsbut lives with obese parents. The case study further reveals that the child is homeschooled. One of the health risks that are relevant to the child in the presented case study is the risk of childhood obesity. It is important to understand that obesity, just like many other conditions, is caused by an interplay between genetics and factors related to the environment. Genetics is one of the significant risk factors for childhood obesity in the provided case study. Additionally, the environment in which the child is subjected to (homeschooling) might as well present her to the risk of obesity.
One of the most critical information that I would require in the assessment of the child’s weight-related health is information on the child’s diet (Pérez‐Escamilla et al., 2017. One of the significant contributors to childhood obesity is the consumption of foods that are rich in high levels of calories. An assessment of the child’s diet would make it possible for me to understand whether the child’s diet exposes her to the risk of being overweight or obese. When presented with such cases, nurses and other healthcare service providers need to conduct an in-depth assessment of the child’s diet to determine whether it exposes them to the risk of obesity.
The other information that is vital in assessing the child’s health status is the level of physical activity that she engages in (Pérez‐Escamilla et al., 2017. Apart from a diet with high levels of calories, the other factor that contributes to obesity and overweight is the lack of physical activities. While growing up, the child needs to participate in light physical exercises that are critical in burning calories thereby preventing chances of childhood obesity. Being that the parents of the child are obese, it is quite unlikely that the child is actively involved in such physical activities. Obtaining information on the activity level of the child is thus elementary in knowing whether or not the child is at risk of obesity.
To further gain an understanding of the child’s health status, it would be prudent to talk to the parents because they have first-hand information regarding their child. The parents are better placed at providing information regarding their child’s diet and level of physical activity. Being that the parent’s to the 5-year-old Asian girl suffer obesity, they might be sensitive about their weight and may be unwilling to answer questions related to their child’s health is they are improperly approached. While asking about the health of the child, I will be sensitive enough to the parents to ensure that they are not judged because of their condition. I will be careful with my choice of words to ensure that the parents do not feel offended in any way.
To gather more information regarding the child’s health situation, here are some of the questions that I look forward to asking the parents to ascertain whether she is equally at risk of obesity;
- What types of food does your family prefer and which ones are specific to the child?
- How often does the child engage in light physical activities?
- Is your neighborhood accessed to facilities that promote physical activities that can be used by the child?
The three critical questions will create an understanding of the child’s diet and her involvement in physical activities as a health promotional program.
One of the strategies that is quite critical in encouraging the parents to be proactive about the child’s health is advocating for a proper diet. As a healthcare professional, I would advise the parents on the need for a proper diet for themselves and the child. I look forward to making them understand that a proper diet (low-calorie) diet is beneficial for them and the child. I will help the family in identifying some of the foods that they can eat to manage their condition and to prevent obesity in their child (Benusic & Cheskin, 2019). The other critical strategy that I seek to educate the parents on is the importance of physical activity. Given their health situation, I will make them understand that exercises are quite critical in burning calories and might help them in cutting down weight. Most importantly, I will make them understand that activities are essential in preventing childhood obesity. Parents should actively be involved in the prevention and management of obesity in their children.
References
Benusic, M., & Cheskin, L. J. (2019). Obesity prevalence in large US cities: association with socioeconomic indicators, race/ethnicity, and physical activity. Journal of Public Health.
Pérez‐Escamilla, R., Lutter, C. K., Rabadan‐Diehl, C., Rubinstein, A., Calvillo, A., Corvalán, C., & Ewart‐Pierce, E. (2017). Prevention of childhood obesity and food policies in Latin America: from research to practice. Obesity Reviews, 18, 28-38.