School Nurse Led Intervention Effects On Student Bmi

Childhood onset overweight and obesity and its’ associated health consequences are quickly becoming major significant public health issues facing America today. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) define overweight as a body mass index (BMI) between the 85th and 95th percentile while obese is defined as BMI above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex . The prevalence of overweight children, defined based on 2009 CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics data, has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Between 1980 and 2006, the incidence of overweight among children aged 6 to 11 years increased from 6.5% to 17.0% while overweight levels for adolescents aged 12 to 19 years increased from 5.0% to 17.6% .

According to Time Magazine, childhood obesity rates have skyrocketed. Since the 1960’s, the percentage of children ages 6 to 11 have tripled to 13% (Time, 2015).

In a research article by Gee, Chin, Ackerson, Woo & Howell, (2013) from the years of 1970 to 2000 the pediatric population in the U.S. tripled in obesity rates, interestingly from the year 2000 – 2010 BMI’s have held steady yet a staggering 30.4% of this population were either overweight or labeled obese. Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) performed a research study in 2001, which had three goals related to the study

Obesity is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Obesity often begin in childhood and is linked to many psychological problems such as asthma, diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors in childhood. Childhood obesity is related to increased mortality and morbidity in adulthood as many obese children grow up to become obese adults (Johnson, 2016). In the last 30 years, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents. In the United States, the percentage of children aged six to eleven years who were obese seven percent in 1980 has increased to eighteen percent in 2012. In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. Overweight is defined as having excess body weight for a particular height, whereas obesity is having excess body fat. Childhood obesity can lead both immediate and long term effects on health and well-being. Obese children are likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. A population based sample of five to seventeen year old shows 70% obese children have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Obese children and adolescents are at risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as poor self-esteem and stigmatization. Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults and are at risk for adult health problems such as heart disease, stroke, type 2

According to the CDC obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years. In 2012 more than one third of children are classified as overweight

More likely to experience teasing and bullying in school, overweight children have lower self-esteem and a higher risk of depression. Both of which are serious risks to their overall mental health (Afterschool, Alliance, and Foundation MetLife 1). These new findings have led expert to believe that “the current generation of children could suffer greater illness or experience a shorter lifespan than that of their parents—the first such reversal in lifespan in modern history. That possibility makes childhood obesity an issue of utmost public health concern” (Daniels 61).

There are policy solutions at the state level and community level to address the issue such that the potential of these policies at an individual level can influence to slow down or revert the trend of childhood obesity, nationally. Government also support policies that reinforce healthy eating and physical activity with the goal to provide a shift in lifestyle behaviors (Ben-Sefer, Ben-Natan, & Ehrenfeld,

Childhood obesity has increased dramatically in the past few years. It is a result of an imbalance between how much a child eats and how much a child keeps their body active to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Common factors that are influencing childhood obesity would be the lack of self-control, environmental, and genetics. In order to combat these rising numbers of childhood obesity, people as a collective force must target problem areas within homes, schools, and their surrounding community by educating each other.

One of the greatest health risks that children face today is not an atrocious disease like cancer nor is it learning or behavioral problems—it is obesity! The Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit organization committed to clinical practice, health education and research, defines child hood obesity as “a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents, that occurs when a child is well above the normal weight for his or her age and height” (Mayo). The Mayo Clinic goes on to say that childhood obesity is particularly troubling because it starts kids off on an early path to health complications that they could encounter later in life (Mayo). The Centers for Decease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently started referring to obesity as an “epidemic” and new national statistics show that about 16.06% of American children, ages six years old to eleven years old, are considered to be overweigh (Childhood Obesity Facts). The California Department of Public Health Nutrition concluded that in California, 15.8% of children, ages six to eleven years old, are considered overweight (Obesity in California: The Weight of the State, 2000-2012). With these percentages in mind, Childhood Obesity must be viewed as an immediate serious concern that is impacting our children at the national, state, county, and local level.

One in three children are obese or overweight. One study found that, “Among 17 developed nations, the United States had the highest rates of childhood obesity among children ages 15-19.” (National Academy of Science, 2013)

Childhood obesity has been a popular topic of conversation in the United States for the last decade. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) about 12.7 million children and adolescents are considered obese, representing approximately 17% of the total childhood population. Sadly in a small community in upstate South Carolina (SC), this statistic is well demonstrated.

In order to impede the epidemic of childhood obesity, the actual causes of the problem need to be evaluated and dissected. Obesity in children is becoming a huge problem in American society. In the past three decades, the rate of overweight children has increased by 300%. This is an alarming rate that is only climbing higher. Every member in society should take steps to becoming healthier. This would help the present generations as well as future generations to come. The lifestyle of Americans keeps us too busy to be a healthy society.

There is a giant threat looming over the United States, a catastrophic event of epidemic proportions which is threatening to capsize the health care system and that epidemic is childhood obesity. The awareness of this epidemic as a national problem developed in 1999 with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) publication of a compilation of yearly state-based maps that indicated the increase in the levels of childhood obesity. There were earlier studies done by the CDC regarding this epidemic, but the maps gave physical proof of the dramatic increase for this pressing issue (Dietz, 2015).

Reflection: Childhood Obesity Obesity is a devastating public health crisis for the United States. Obesity has more than doubled among children ages 2-5 (Centers for Disease Control, 2014). 70-80% obese children become obese adults (Centers for Disease Control, 2014). These statistics are alarming.

According to the American Heart Association as of 2016, “Today, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese. The prevalence of obesity in children more than tripled from 1971 to 2011”. Obesity is the biggest health concern in the United States, and can cause high blood pressure, type two diabetes and high cholesterol. Often when a child is overweight or obese it lowers their self-esteem, body image and it raises their depression levels. In the school system when a child is overweight, bigger than the others, they are more than likely the bully or the victim of bulling.