Childhood obesity is a problem that stands especially acute today, in the era of consumerism. Children now have immense access to Internet where they are enraptured by bright and colorful advertising. The problem of obesity is hot topic for research, and there are many scientific articles that review various aspects of the issue. A study by Lanigan et al. (2019) briefly explores the definition of childhood obesity, its main risk factors, and causes. However, the key goal of this research is to evaluate different interventions that target the problem of childhood obesity. According to authors (2019), “in the UK and other countries service provision is lacking; interventions that are successful in the prevention and management of childhood obesity are urgently needed” (p. 190). In the study, Lanigan et al. (2019) observe two UK intervention methods to battle childhood obesity: the Planet Much program and Lifestyles, Eating and Activity for Families (LEAF) program. The authors briefly explain both programs and evaluate their quantitative and qualitative effectivity.
The most important finding of the study confirms that in order to successfully prevent and battle childhood obesity multicomponent lifestyle programs tailored to the needs of families are necessary. Moreover, the authors (2019) emphasize that these interventions should ideally begin in infancy throughout the preschool years for maximum result. However, there is a significant shortcoming to this study – it only evaluates two intervention program which cannot be considered as representative sample. Still, the authors (2019) were able to conclude that such programs should be complex and specific to achieve positive change. Overall, this research is quite relevant for a nurse, as it provides valuable insight about the causes and risks of childhood obesity, as well as gives a comprehensive review of well-known intervention programs.
Evidence shows that mother’s lifestyle shortly before and during pregnancy, as well as at the stage of nursing affects the child’s possibility to develop obesity drastically. The study performed by Larqué et al. (2019) reviews the early risk factors that influence the childhood obesity to offer a strategy for clinical work. According to authors (2019), “prevention of childhood obesity includes the promotion of healthy maternal nutrition and weight status at reproductive age and during pregnancy, as well as careful monitoring of infant growth” (p. 456). Thus, the authors state that maternal health is an important factor in the process of obesity development. Within their methodological approach, Larqué et al. (2019) explored and evaluated various scientific articles and studies to systematize the existing knowledge and design prevention strategies for clinicians. Thus, the authors (2019) reviewed the direct and indirect risks for childhood obesity, such as mother’s prenatal body mass index, gestational diabetes, paternal obesity, and others.
This work is quite valuable as it provides the healthcare specialist with possible strategies of intervention for the issue of childhood obesity. Authors (2019) offer quantitative analysis of each risk factor and how it contributes to the development of childhood obesity. Moreover, they cover the indirect factors that are often overlooked in similar works. However, the main shortcoming of the study is that it covers each aspect only briefly and does not offer an authors’ opinion on them. The research concludes that pregnant mothers should engage in healthy lifestyle and adequate physical activities, as well as control the signs of gestational diabetes and weight gain. The authors also state that there is little correlation between childhood obesity and factors such as breastfeeding, pre- and probiotic consumption, and complementary feeding. Meanwhile, higher sugar and protein intake paired with short sleep increases the risk of obesity, especially during the first 2 years of life. It is clear that this research is highly relevant to the issue of childhood obesity, as it provides a nurse with insights about the direct and indirect risks that influence the development of childhood obesity.
References
Lanigan, J., Tee, L., & Brandreth, R. (2019). Childhood obesity. Medicine, 47(3), 190–194. Web.
Larqué, E., Labayen, I., Flodmark, C.-E., Lissau, I., Czernin, S., Moreno, L. A., Pietrobelli, A., & Widhalm, K. (2019). From conception to infancy — early risk factors for childhood obesity. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 15(8), 456–478. Web.