Childhood Obesity Intervention and Its Effectiveness

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Table of Contents

Literature Review
Description of the Case from a Theoretical Perspective
Detailed Explanation of the Findings
Summary of the Case
Entire Scenario
Evaluating the Proposed Intervention
Concluding Thoughts
References

Even though health problems are usually associated with older populations, children are also subject to various issues. Childhood obesity is among them because numerous children now have a weight that exceeds an average value for their age and height. Multiple social, environmental, and behavioral patterns contribute to this phenomenon, while its consequences are represented by severe diseases, including elevated blood pressure, diabetes, and others. That is why pediatric obesity is a significant issue within a DNP area of practice. This state of affairs means that it is necessary to develop a specific intervention plan to address the issue and improve the target population’s health. Thus, the given case report will explain the problem and describe it from a theoretical perspective, present literature review, as well as offer a scenario to define the problem, implement an intervention, and analyze its effectiveness.

Literature Review

Pediatric obesity is a central topic of many pieces of research since scientists understand that this phenomenon is of importance. It is so because the problem significantly influences a large part of the world’s population. Powell (2019) stipulates that the number of children of 6-10 years old who has the body-mass index (BMI) of 30 and higher has doubled in the US over the past years. It denotes that BMI is an essential metric to determine whether an individual is overweight. In addition to that, Haynes and Browne (2016) mention that “the number of children under 5 years old affected by obesity has risen from 31 million in 1990 to 41 million in 2014” (p. 32). Furthermore, Bleich et al. (2018) explain that individuals from both developed and developing nations are subject to the given problem because of the existing socioeconomic inequalities.

The increasing number of obese children throughout the world means that many factors contribute to the spread of the given disease. Powell (2019) admits that it is a multifactorial issue since it “is affected by genetics, metabolic factors, socioeconomic factors, and lifestyle choices” (p. 1). However, this definition does not mean that all overweight individuals are victims of external conditions. It is sad to say, but the most typical cause of pediatric obesity refers to consuming more energy than the body spends and utilizes (Powell, 2019; Kumar & Kelly, 2017). It means that children have unhealthy eating habits that are accompanied by the lack of sufficient physical activity.

The given section of the literature review is devoted to the possible consequences of the issue under consideration. The main problem refers to the fact that individuals of young ages are exposed to this specific health condition that, in turn, will result in severe outcomes in the future. Bleich et al. (2018) admit that pediatric obesity is a practical prerequisite of the fact that individuals will suffer from chronic diseases when they grow up. In addition to that, typical consequences include low self-esteem, asthma, elevated blood pressure, and others. Powell (2019) supports this claim and tells that the possible effects include hypertension, asthma, diabetes, and others. At the same time, overweight children are subject to many conditions that have been considered “adult” ones a few years ago. Kumar and Kelly (2017) explain that it refers to type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

The information above shows that society requires specific interventions to protect the young population from the problem under analysis. Kumar and Kelly (2017) admit that family-based lifestyle interventions are useful because they imply a healthy diet and increased physical exercise to burn excess energy. However, Bleich et al. (2018) stipulate that these ways to address the problem are not always useful because children spend much time at school, and family-based interventions lose their effect in this environment. That is why the researchers insist on the fact that school-based interventions are the most effective (Bleich et al., 2018). School-based interventions that include a healthy diet and sufficient physical exercise are said to be a practical way to address and prevent childhood obesity.

Description of the Case from a Theoretical Perspective

In addition to that, it is reasonable to address a theoretical perspective of the problem under consideration, and humanistic theory is a suitable option here. According to Mukhalalati and Taylor (2019), “humanism is a paradigm that emerged in the 1960s and focuses on human freedom and dignity to achieve full potential” (p. 3). Even though this theory is usually applied to adults, it is still a useful way to understand why the issue of childhood obesity exists. It is so because the given learning theory considers children fully-fledged members of society with their own thoughts, beliefs, and requirements. That is why children are provided with relative freedom to choose how to behave, what to eat, what to do, and others.

Since young individuals do not have sufficient knowledge and experience, it is a typical case that they make mistakes and suffer from appropriate consequences. Consequently, the humanist theory explains that children are immature individuals to make reasonable decisions concerning their health. That is why the problem of pediatric obesity exists, and a suitable intervention is necessary to improve the health of the younger population. The literature under review has demonstrated that it is possible to use various interventions, but one should also explain what specific steps are required.

Detailed Explanation of the Findings

Findings of the literature review demonstrate that childhood obesity is a severe health issue in the modern world. It is so because millions of people in the United States and around the globe suffer from being overweight. The information above demonstrates that no one is protected against this issue irrespective of whether they live in developed or developing countries. Various factors can be considered causes of pediatric obesity, including health prerequisites, unhealthy eating, lack of physical exercise, and others. It is impossible to mention that some of them are the most significant. Still, abundant evidence proves that all overweight individuals follow unhealthy diets and do not engage in sufficient physical activity. In any case, the problem under consideration results in multiple adverse outcomes that can deteriorate people’s lives’ quality and duration. That is why various health care organizations and researchers address the problem and try to find ways to minimize its effects.

According to the information above, it is possible to use two various interventions to reduce pediatric obesity prevalence. Even though the two imply the improvement of diet and the increase of physical activity, they differ in their manner. It refers to the fact that these options are family-based and school-based interventions (Bleich et al., 2018; Kumar & Kelly, 2017). These two terms mean that the scenarios are different based on who is responsible for implementing the necessary change. At this point, it is possible to suppose that the best results are possible if the two variants are combined.

Summary of the Case

Millions of children from various countries suffer from obesity and adverse consequences that this health condition brings. Social, behavioral, and other factors contribute to an increasing prevalence of the issue, which means that a comprehensive approach is needed to improve the situation. That is why the following section will present the entire scenario of how to identify obese children, what intervention to use, how to implement it, and how to evaluate it with an appropriate research instrument.

Entire Scenario

The first step in the proposed scenario is to describe how to understand whether a child is obese. It is not a genuinely scientific approach, but a visual estimation can be suitable to find the individuals who are exposed to the problem under consideration. At the same time, BMI is an appropriate tool here because it brings accuracy. It is so because this metric shows whether a person’s weight is suitable for their height. Kumar and Kelly (2017) explain that BMI “is calculated by dividing the body weight in kilograms by the height in meters squared” (p. 251). This metric can generate slightly wrong results when it comes to children with relatively high muscle masses or who are short. Nevertheless, it is still the principal instrument that is used to determine individuals with obesity.

Since everything is clear with defining obese children, it is rational to comment on what intervention can be the most effective. It has already been described that school and family-based programs are suitable. However, one should explain what specific steps or actions should compose the necessary intervention. On the one hand, physical activity can lead to positive outcomes if it is obligatory and regular. This claim is supported by Bleich et al. (2018), who demonstrate that enhanced or lengthened physical activity time is a suitable choice. Since the proposed intervention refers to children, running games are an effective option that provides individuals with required motivation. Children spend a significant part of their time at schools in educators’ care, meaning that the latter can be considered responsible for engaging children in such games.

On the other hand, one can suppose that regular physical activity will be more efficient when it is accompanied by a healthy diet. That is why the researchers insist on the necessity to make children improve their food habits. It refers to increasing fruit and vegetable intake, minimizing the consumption of sugar, fat, and salt, as well as preventing children from skipping their meals (Kumar & Kelly, 2017). Since parents are more responsible for providing their children with healthy food, this strategy is an element of a home-based intervention.

Even though the information above has shown the difference between the home and school responsibilities, it does not mean that this division is strict. Parents should do their best to motivate their children to engage in regular and enhanced physical activity. Simultaneously, schools should also provide their pupils with healthy food to prevent them from consuming harmful products. It means that a comprehensive approach can be useful to address childhood obesity and improve the target population’s health. This information provides insight into how to implement the proposed intervention. Thus, schools should have specific educational programs that promote physical activity among their pupils. At the same time, it is reasonable to develop appropriate diet plans for parents to allow them to provide their children with healthy food.

Specific empirical evidence shows that the proposed intervention is rational and adequately selected. Firstly, Bleich et al. (2018) have analyzed 41 studies and state that most of them prove the effectiveness of school-based interventions. Secondly, Kumar and Kelly (2017) report that moderate and low-intensity physical activity leads to modest weight loss and results in improvements that range “from 1 to 3 km/m² of BMI” (p. 259). This evidence stands for the tenets of why these two interventions have been selected to address pediatric obesity.

The information above stipulates that the proposed interventions are based on the behaviorist learning theory. This idea emphasizes that a stimulus in the environment is required to make people change their behavioral patterns, which is necessary to fight pediatric obesity. Mukhalalati and Taylor (2019) explain that children will be more likely to participate in the interventions if they understand that this new behavior will positively affect them. Thus, parents and educators’ responsibility is to create a specific environment that will motivate children to modify their behavior. The behaviorist learning theory stipulates that the condition above allows the parents and educators to achieve a response from the children, which will help the people unite their efforts to reach the shared goal.

Evaluating the Proposed Intervention

It is impossible to determine whether an intervention is successful if there is no explanation of how to evaluate it. Since the proposed change strategy is aimed at addressing childhood obesity, it is not a surprise that weight loss is its principal purpose. However, it is also reasonable to comment on what specific research instruments can be used to assess the effectiveness of the proposed intervention.

According to Abildgaard et al. (2016), the most typical variant is to use qualitative or quantitative research instruments to evaluate interventions’ results. On the one hand, quantitative research instruments usually include questionnaires that are organized to identify whether an intervention has influenced the target population. This research instrument is useful to define a percentage of individuals who have experienced positive outcomes. It is possible with the help of building the scale that would reflect the total number of participants and the number of individuals who have benefited from the intervention. This instrument is relatively easy to use because it makes individuals fill in written forms, mainly with simple answers that do not require any detailed explanations.

On the other hand, qualitative research instruments are also practical, but they draw attention to more profound phenomena. Abildgaard et al. (2016) stipulate that “semi-structured interviews seem to be the conventional method” of these research instruments (p. 3). It relates to the fact that interviews are conducted to identify the extent to which the intervention has become effective. In addition to determining the number of improvements, the given research instrument focuses on their quality and volume. The implementation of this research instrument requires more effort compared to the example above. It is so because interviews imply direct contact between researchers and participants of the intervention. As a result, the given instrument allows scientists to determine what individuals think of the intervention, what can be improved, and others.

As for the proposed intervention to reduce the childhood obesity rates, one can suppose that quantitative research instruments, including questionnaires, are sufficient. The rationale behind this claim is that the intervention goal only is to reduce the number of children with obesity. One should explain that questionnaires will not present exhaustive information on what exactly children felt during the intervention, how they find the change strategy, or what they would like to improve. That is why this instrument is useful to assess the change strategy’s effectiveness because this tool requires little time and effort to identify how many individuals have experienced positive outcomes.

In addition to that, it is rational to comment on some steps to evaluate the instrument’s use under consideration. It is necessary because some individuals can present false information in their questionnaires. It can happen either intentionally or accidentally, but in any case, this fact will distort the real effect of the intervention. That is why the research instrument’s evaluation is suitable to ensure that the questionnaire results are factually correct. Since this instrument focuses on individual weight, it can quickly be evaluated by calculating the participants’ BMIs. The obtained information will show whether the intervention has led to the fact that the participants have lost weight and improved their BMIs. This measure will support the questionnaire results with empirical evidence.

Concluding Thoughts

Pediatric obesity is a severe problem in the modern world because millions of children suffer from this health condition both in developed and developing countries. Many factors cause the given health issue, but an unhealthy diet and the lack of physical activity are the most influential. Furthermore, humanist learning theory is another factor that explains a high prevalence of overweight among children. Childhood obesity is a dangerous phenomenon since it implies many adverse consequences, including hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and others. That is why many scientists choose this topic for their research, and they offer useful ways to address the problem.

It has been demonstrated that childhood obesity rates can be reduced with a comprehensive approach to the case. That is why the use of school and home-based interventions should be justified and efficient. On the one hand, schools and educators are responsible for involving children in regular and sufficient physical activity, and conducting running games is a suitable option. It is so because this kind of physical activity provides children with the adequate motivation to participate in the intervention. On the other hand, parents should do their best to make their children eat healthy food. This strategy implies developing specific diet programs that do not include fats, sugar, and salt. Since the two steps require behavioral changes to achieve positive outcomes, it is reasonable to use them together to reckon on the best results.

In conclusion, one should also explain how it is possible to evaluate the proposed intervention. Since the proposed intervention aims at reducing the number of overweight children, it is possible to use qualitative research instruments. That is why questionnaires are suitable as they reflect how many individuals have experienced weight loss because of the intervention. If it is necessary to determine whether the questionnaire results are adequate and have an empirical basis, one can calculate the participants’ BMIs and compare them to pre-intervention values.

References

Abildgaard, J. S., Saksvik, P. Ø., & Nielsen, K. (2016). How to measure the intervention process? An assessment of qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection in the process evaluation of organizational interventions. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1-10.

Bleich, S. N., Vercammen, K. A., Zatz, L. Y., Frelier, J. M., Ebbeling, C. B., & Peeters, A. (2018). Interventions to prevent global childhood overweight and obesity: A systematic review. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 6(4), 332-346.

Haynes, B. B., & Browne, N. T. (2016). Childhood obesity, health literacy, and the newest vital sign. Journal of Pediatric Surgical Nursing, 5(2), 32-33.

Kumar, S., & Kelly, A. S. (2017). Review of childhood obesity: From epidemiology, etiology, and comorbidities to clinical assessment and treatment. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 92(2), 251-265.

Mukhalalati, B. A., & Taylor, A. (2019). Adult learning theories in context: A quick guide for healthcare professional educators. Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development, 6, 1-10.

Powell, F. (2019). Childhood obesity: Getting back to the basics. DNP Qualifying Manuscripts, 1-15.

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