Public health nursing focuses on promoting the health of a community. This position requires attention to measures such as conducting community assessments, identifying vulnerable populations, ethical practices, community education, epidemiology, and more. One such issue addressed by public health nursing is childhood obesity. Obesity has been, and continues to be, a major global health concern. As a public health nurse, identifying populations, assessing risks, and educating a community all contribute to finding a system that helps address this concern. With rates increasing, especially in adolescents and children, this health issue is a serious epidemic effecting the world. Obesity is defined as excess body fat and is commonly measured by comparing weight and height. This process is not perfect and does not distinguish between fat and muscle. Measuring obesity in children is even less specific than for adults. Additionally, there are no set guidelines for defining severe obesity in children (Ogden, 2011). For children up to age 19 height and weight are plotted on a sex specific graph call the BMI-for-age 2000 CDC growth charts shown in the image to the right. Children between the 85th and 95th percentile are considered overweight while children above the 95th are obese. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2011), obesity among children and teens has tripled in the United States in the last generation to 12.5 million or 16.9% of the population ages 2-19 years old. For adults the rates are double those of children and adolescents at 73 million or 33.8%. According to Trugilo-Londrigan & Leweson (2011), a fundamental element of public health nursing is the ability to understand the epide... ... middle of paper ... ...Public Health, 94(9), 1555-1559. doi:10.2015/AJPH.94.9.1555. Economic Research Service, US Department of Agriculture. Access to affordable and nutritious food. Measuring and understanding food deserts and their consequences: report to Congress. Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture; 2009. Retrieved from: http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/ap/ap036 . Ogden, C.L., Carroll, M.D., Curtin, L.R., Lamb, M.M., Flegal, K.M. Prevalence of high body mass index in US children and adolescents, 2007--2008. JAMA 2010;303:242--9. Singh, G., Siahpush, M., & Kogan, M. (2010). Rising social inequalities in US childhood obesity, 2003-2007. Annals of Epidemiology, 20(1), 40-52. doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2009.09.008 Truglio-Londrigan, M., & Leweson, S., (2011). Public health nursing: practicing population-based care. Second Ed. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Ploeg, M. ver; Breneman, V.; Farrigan, T.; Hamrick, K.; Hopkins, D.;Kaufman, P.; Lin, B. H.; Nord, M.; Smith, T.; Williams, R.; Kinnison, Access to affordable and nutritious food measuring and understanding food deserts and their consequences : report to Congress ([Rev. Sept. 3, 2009] ed.). (2009). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
Viner, Russell M and Tim J Cole. “Adult Socioeconomic, Educational, Social, and Psychological Outcomes of Childhood Obesity: A National Birth Cohort Study.” British Medical Journal 330. 1354. Web. 30, August 2011.
According to Allender, Rector, and Warner (2014), public health is a combination of both an art and a science (2014). The mission of public health nursing is to promote health, prevent disease and ultimately prolong life (Allender et al., 2014). In order for this to occur an assessment must take place. An aggregate or community assessment begins with a collection of data. This includes: the community’s health needs, risks, environmental conditions, financial resources through local census data, and a windshield survey (Allender et al., 2014). Through public health nursing, communities can collectively come together to help promote an overall better health standing.
The educator role of the APHN and NP includes health education within a nursing framework and professional nurse educator roles. The APHN analyzes groups at risk within a community and implements health education interventions. The APHN and NP boost wellness and contribute to conserving and advocating health by teaching the importance of a healthy lifestyle, stress management, physical exercise, and good nutrition. They educate about disease processes and the importance of following treatment systems. In addition, they provide guidance and educate clients on the use of birth control methods, diet, medications, and other therapeutic procedures. They also counsel groups, families, clients, and the community on the importance of assuming responsibility for their own
Childhood onset overweight and obesity and its’ associated health consequences are quickly becoming major significant public health issues facing America today. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define overweight as a body mass index (BMI) between the 85th and 95th percentile while obese is defined as BMI above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex . The prevalence of overweight children, defined based on 2009 CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics data, has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Between 1980 and 2006, the incidence of overweight among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% to 17.0% while overweight levels for adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 17.6% . Not only has prevalence of child and adolescent overweight and obesity increased dramatically over the last several decades, but being an overweight or obese child puts one at a heightened risk for adult overweight and obesity .
“Food Deserts” as defined by the CDC, are “areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk, and other foods that make up the full range of a healthy diet” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). In simpler terms, a food desert is a community with little to no grocery stores. Many reports show that neighborhoods with less access to neighborhood grocery stores have a higher risk for obesity and unhealthy diets unlike neighborhoods where residents have better access to neighborhood grocery stores. The “USDA estimates that 23.5 million people, including 6.5 million children, live in low-income areas that are than one mile from a supermarket. Of the 23.5 million, 11.5 million are low-income individuals in households with incomes at or below 200 percent of the poverty line. Of the 2.3 million people living in low-income rural areas that ...
Ploeg, M. ver; Breneman, V.; Farrigan, T.; Hamrick, K.; Hopkins, D.;Kaufman, P.; Lin, B. H.; Nord, M.; Smith, T.; Williams, R.; Kinnison, Access to affordable and nutritious food measuring and understanding food deserts and their consequences : report to Congress ([Rev. Sept. 3, 2009] ed.). (2009). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
Obesity in the United States continues growing alarmingly. Approximately 66 % of adults and 33 % of children and teenagers in the US are overweight. Obesity is the result of fat accumulated over time due to the lack of a balanced diet and exercise. An adult with a BMI (body mass index) higher than thirty percent is considered obese (Whitney & Rolfes, 2011, pg. 271).
Forty years ago in America childhood obesity was rarely a topic of conversation. A survey done in the early 1970s showed that 6.1% of children between the ages 12 and 19 were overweight. Eight years later the same survey was done and 17.4% were considered overweight (Iannelli). “Childhood obesity epidemic in America is now a confirmed fact since the number of overweight or obese children has more than tripled during the last 30 years” (Childhood Obesity Epidemic). “Over the last 20 years, the prevalence of obesity in children aged 6 to 11 years has tripled from 6.5% to 19.6%” (Childhood Obesity Epidemic). As a nation statistics should be alarming. Why are American children today so obese?
Childhood obesity is an increasing problem here in the United States. According to Schuab and Marian (2011) “Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions” (P.553). The prevalence of child obesity and overweight has increased over the last 30 years all over the United States, becoming one of the biggest public health challenges (Moreno, Johnson-Shelton, & Boles, 2013). The purpose of this paper is to give a background of the obesity epidemic, a review of current policy, and make a policy recommendation.
Institute of Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved Jan 10, 2011, from Childhood Obesity Prevention Actions for Local Government: www.iom.edu/Activities/Childhood/LocalObesPrevention.asp
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