Childhood Obesity Literature Review

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Childhood Obesity: A Review of the Current Literature
Stephanie M. Worley RN, BSN Student
NSC 486 Public Health Nursing (Online Section)
Department of Baccalaureate & Graduate Nursing, College of Health Sciences,
Eastern Kentucky University
Date







Childhood Obesity: A Review of the Current Literature
Overweight and obesity are defined as excessive or abnormal weight gain that may impair ones health (World Health Organization (WHO), 2015). In 2014, about 13% of the world’s adult populations were obese (WHO, 2015). According to WHO (2015), 42 million children under the age of five were considered overweight or obese in 2013. Obesity more than doubled worldwide between 1980 and 2014 (WHO, 2015).
There have been dramatic increases in childhood …show more content…

Liou et al., (2010) research report found that out of 8,640 students, 8.1% ate five servings of fruit and vegetables daily, 65% ate breakfast each day, 50% consumed a sugar-containing drink on a daily basis, and 1 out of 11 ate a nightly snack. Research results pertaining to physical activity and inactivity revealed that during the weekdays, 450 minutes/day were spent participating in sedentary behaviors (watching television, using the computer, internet surfing, and playing video games) (Liou et al., …show more content…

This allows nurses and other healthcare staff uncomplicated utilization of the best evidence available, to address the worldwide obesity dilemma in children. Eating behaviors, physical activity and inactivity, ethnicity, family support and parental knowledge are factors associated with childhood obesity. These factors share a close relationship to the objectives listed by Health People 2020. These objectives are to reduce the proportion of children who are considered obese and to prevent inappropriate weight gain in children. Nurses are in a unique position as they interact with families across healthcare and community-based settings to advocate, educate, and support children and their families. One suggestion for future research would be to develop nursing interventions designed to promote a healthy weight among children and to conduct an experimental research study examining the effectiveness of the

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