Stroke Rate In Nursing

With South Carolina being the belt buckle of strokes in the United States, we as nurses need to determine where we fail in the health care system. With this new information, I immediately began to wonder why our stroke rate was so much higher than anywhere else in the United States. Since obesity is one of the main causes of strokes, I wondered if our nursing care was lacking for our youngest patients and their families. Lipid streaks begin forming and obstructing blood flow in the heart at childhood, which gradually continue to form throughout adulthood. This build up of fatty streaks and obstructed blood flow lead to many cardiovascular disorders which can lead to cerebrovascular accidents such as a stroke. We as nurses can reduce the risk of strokes by preventing childhood obesity through educating on nutritional needs, promoting physical activity, and being an advocate in the community. …show more content…
Nurses should also encourage family mealtimes, limit eating while watching television, limit fast food intake, and to avoid foods and beverages high in sugar. Nurses should also encourage at least 60 minutes of structured or unstructured physical activity a day. While schools are the ideal place to promote childhood obesity prevention since children spend most of their time in school, the limited recess time and a lack of physical education aids in the rise of childhood obesity. Nurses can be an advocate in the community by “engaging in policy revisions in school districts to restore required quality, daily physical education classes; retain and improve school recess; and expand extracurricular activities..” (Rubenstein