Discussion: Wk 3- Health Assessment of Children’s Weight
Overweight 5 year old boy with overweight parents
According to (About Child & Teen BMI, 2015) children with 2 obese parents are 10 times likely to
become overweight when compared to children with non obese parents. The Child or adolescent is
considered obese when the BMI is at or above the 95th percentile (About Child & Teen BMI, 2015). When
the BMI is at or above the 85th percentile but lower than the 95th percentile a child or adolescent is
identified as overweight. BMI is not a diagnostic tool, it’s a screening tool therefore to determine if
overweight is a problem other assessments need to be performed before making that conclusion (About
Child & Teen BMI, 2015).
Health issues and Risks of an Overweight 5 Year Old Boy with Overweight Parents
I have chosen the scenario of an overweight 5 year old boy with overweight parents. A BMI at or above
the 85th percentile is identified as overweight and may expose the child to have a higher risk to develop
obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea and/or social
discrimination (About Child & Teen BMI, 2015). Children and adolescents who are overweight may
experience immediate health issues and may be at risk for weight related issues as an adult.
According to (Tips for Parents, 2015) in a population based sample of 5 to 17 year olds almost 60% of
overweight children had at least one cardiovascular disease factor while 25% of children who were
overweight had two or more cardiovascular disease risk factors. (Tips for Parents, 2015) states that
studies have found a link between childhood obesity and asthma; also sleep apnea occurs in almost 7%
of overweight children. There are also reports of type 2 diabetes had increased among children and
adolescents who are overweight. Sometimes consequences of childhood and adolescent problems are
psychosocial because obese children can be targets of social discrimination. The psychological impact
can cause low self esteem, negatively affect academic and social functioning which can also continue
into adulthood (Tips for Parents, 2015).
Additional information to Further Understand the Childs health
In this case the child and the parents are overweight, information about the family nutritional habits is
essential to understand their dietary intake of important nutrients (Ball, 2015). The child’s personal and
family medical history should also be assessed. The child and family health history can be utilized to
determine the causes of the increased body mass index. Additional information to be assessed includes
dietary intake, physical activity, community influence and medication intake (Ball, 2015).
Three Specific Questions about the Child to Gather more Information
1. How often does the child play outside, watch television or play video games? Is there a
television in the child’s bedroom?
The current recommendation for moderate activity is 30 minutes a day for at least 5-6 days of
the week (Sullivan, 2012). Lack of exercise or physical activity is a risk factor for certain
conditions such as cardiovascular disease. When children watch television or play video games
they have lower levels of physical activity. Also, children who have televisions in the bedroom
experience a decrease in energy output verses children without televisions in their bedroom,
which contributes to overweight and obesity (Tips for Parents, 2015).
2. How often does the family do something active together? What does that include?
Parents are roles models for their children. When parents are physically active they help their
children to be physically active as well (Tips for parents, 2015). Parents can create family habits
that help everyone to make physical activity choices.
3. What does the family eat and drink in a typical day? How often does the family eat fast food or
at restaurants?
Assess dietary habits by asking about food intake in a typical day such as fast food, fruit and
vegetable servings, meat, fiber, dairy, fat, sugar intake and processed foods that are consumed
every day. It is common to ask the patient to record food intake for a period of time and place a
copy of the food diary on the patient’s chart ( Sullivan, 2012). Also, document the amount of
beverages such as water, soft drinks, fruit juice, coffee, tea and any other drinks that are
consumed. High amounts of sweetened beverages including fruit juices with high sugar content
are associated with an increased risk of overweight and obesity. Fast food chains and
restaurants offer larger portions than necessary and children learn to consume more food at an
early age and consider it normal (Tips for Parents, 2015). When parents eat a healthy diet they
help their children to make the same healthy choices.
Two strategies to encourage the parents to be proactive about their child’s health and weight
I will suggest the parents to follow health eating habits, especially fruits and vegetables, whole
grains, low fat dairy, small amounts of lean protein meats and drinking water (Tips for parents,
2015). I will also suggest the parents to provide opportunity for exercise and outdoor or active
activities on a regular basis. This can decrease the risk of becoming overweight, obese and
developing health related diseases. I will provide educational materials on healthy eating and
physical activity for the child and parents.
References
About Child & Teen BMI. (2015). Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/childrens_bmi/about_childrens_bmi.html
Ball, J., Dains, J., Flynn, J., Solomon, B., & Stewart, R. (2015). Seidel's guide to physical
examination (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
Dains, J., Baumann, L., & Scheibel, P. (2016). Advanced health assessment and clinical
diagnosis in primary care (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
Sullivan, D. D. (2012). Guide to clinical documentation (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F. A.
Davis.
Tips for Parents- ideas to help Children Maintain a Healthy Weight. (2015). Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/children/index.html
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