Childhood Health Promotion

Childhood health promotion is one of the top concerns in the United States. In recent years there has been a significant increase in the number of overweight and obese children. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the last thirty years (CDC, 2015). Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults and are therefore more at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, cancer, and osteoarthritis. One study showed that children who became obese as early as age 2 were more likely to be obese as adults CDC, 2015). Similarly, healthy oral care is essential to health promotion. Poor dental hygiene …show more content…
Her weight gain this year was significantly higher than average. According to her father she is allowed to drink soda throughout the day and eat whatever she likes. She does not exercise or play outside regularly. A recent systematic review was conducted on the intake of sugar containing beverages and the effects on obesity. The report concluded that the evidence to implicate high intake of sugar-sweetened drinks on weight gain is moderately strong and recommends restricting the intake of in children and adolescents (Ansari, 2014). The soda intake also contributes to her poor dental health. Our environment provides a variety of food choices for children, but it is the parents who need to select and promote healthy eating habits. One of the main factors that lead to obesity is the convenient, inexpensive, high-calorie foods that many parents depend on for their children’s meals. In the case of this patient there is also a parental conflict in which both parents are allowing the child to consume whatever she likes to make up for …show more content…
UptoDate recommends both physical and emotional health maintenance. According to the recommendations, children should receive counseling on a regular basis, as well as routine health visits (uptodate). Routine visits should include complete physical exam, lab analysis and goal setting (uptodate). According to Burns et al. the primary goal is to normalize weight, not necessarily lose the weight which is done by managing the foods that are eaten and limiting high caloric drinks (177). Physical activity is also an important factor in weight management. Substantial evidence supports the importance of reducing sedentary activity as a means of preventing and treating obesity in children. Indeed, reducing sedentary activity may be more effective than increasing structured physical activity, perhaps because reducing sedentary activity has the secondary benefit of reducing caloric intake (UptoDate). Also, limiting the amount of time spent with television, computers, and other electronic devices can help to promote physical