Evidence-Based Solution
Background
Despite numerous efforts, the issue of obesity remains one of the leading causes of health deterioration worldwide (World Health Organization, 2017). When considering the population that can be described as especially vulnerable to the specified disease, one must mention young children (Sahoo et al., 2015). According to the latest WHO data, in 2016, over 41,000,000 children were diagnosed with obesity (World Health Organization, 2017). Furthermore, obesity is likely to cause a range of related health concerns in the future, diabetes II being one of the primary dangers (Rankin et al., 2016). Addressing the problem by introducing a social-network-based education program must lead to a sharp decline in the number of obesity cases among children.
PICOT Question
Will the introduction of a social-network-based intervention be more efficient in preventing and addressing the instances of obesity among children within a month than the use of educational programs involving the use of traditional media?
Nursing Intervention
The adoption of patient education techniques is viewed as the primary nursing strategy that will help address the increasingly high level of childhood obesity globally. Although children are not typically viewed as the individuals that are capable of making correct choices as far as the management of their health is concerned, one must promote trust and cooperation so that the treatment could work. Therefore, children will have to be offered an opportunity to control their health independently. The supervision of a therapist will be mandatory, yet the latter will only intervene if entirely necessary (Sahoo et al., 2015).
Patient Care
The process of patient care, in general, and education, in particular, will be shifted to the realm of the social media. Particularly, social networks will be used profusely to encourage children to accept the proposed lifestyle and switch to healthier dieting options. Moreover, it will be crucial to establish a set of guidelines for nurses to follow when educating patients about their issue and the means of addressing it. Providing the materials that the target population will find interesting to scrutinize (e.g., concept maps, posters, infographic materials, etc.) must be deemed as a necessity. Furthermore, participants will have to be invited for the discussion of the information that will be provided to them. As a result, children will recognize the need to acquire proper eating habits and become more physically active. One might argue that the use of social media as the factor that keeps children from enjoying outside activities does not seem rational in the specified context (Rankin et al., 2016). However, social media will only be used as a means to an end; particularly, it will be utilized to post crucial information about health, set dates for outdoor group meetings, etc. As a result, children will recognize the necessity of a healthy lifestyle.
Health Care Agency
Local nursing and healthcare facilities will participate in the program. The specified agencies will supply the materials that children will find useful for developing healthy habits. Furthermore, nurses representing the specified agencies will provide online consultations for children.
Nursing Practice
The identified change is likely to have a massively positive effect on the nursing practice. For instance, it will show how social media can be used to convince children to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, it will create the foundation for nurses to develop stronger bonds with young members of the community.
References
Rankin, J., Matthews, L., Cobley, S., Han, A., Sanders, R., Wiltshire, H. D., & Baker, J. S. (2016). Psychological consequences of childhood obesity: Psychiatric comorbidity and prevention. Adolescent Health, Medicine and Therapeutics, 7, 125-146.
Sahoo, K., Sahoo, B., Choudhury, A. K., Sofi, N. Y., Kumar, R., & Bhadoria, A. S. (2015). Childhood obesity: Causes and consequences. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 4(2), 187-192.
World Health Organization. (2017). Childhood overweight and obesity.