Assignment: NURS 5050 Regulation for Nursing Practice Staff Development Meeting

A thorough search strategy was developed drawing on a number of steps including cataloging existing reviews focused on obesity interventions in children. The search strategy was defined by the PICOT. The population was restricted to children especially those below the age of five. Intervention and comparison was made with terms related to possible intervention such as control, promotion, physical activity, and lifestyle. Outcome had terms like overweight, obesity reduction, and weight maintenance. The study was designed to take about six months. With these components, the search terms were later converted to subject descriptors and MESH terms. The search was consistently conducted in each database.

Literature Review on Home-based Interventions

Home-based studies focused their interventions on promoting healthy lifestyle, feeding habit, and parenting skills with higher degrees of success. The study by Matvienko-Sikar et al. (2018) suggested that home visits from registered nurses resulted in lower body mass index in the intervention group than the control group. Macintyre, Marryat, and Chambers (2018) also conducted a study including a group that received intervention recording lower BMI than the control group. Gillian, Paula, and Stephanie (2016) applied cognitive behavioral theory to determine a comprehensive skill-based program on parenting practices and early feeding. The intervention involved children who attended three-month education modules on nutrition. Children in the intervention group recorded lower BMI compared to the control group.

Macintyre, Marryat, and Chambers (2018) conducted a randomized controlled trial with children and their mothers

to determine the effectiveness of parent focused intervention on childhood obesity risk behaviors and their BMI. The intervention in their study involved a systematic dietician delivered sessions on parental knowledge, social support, and skills around childhood feeding, physical activity, and diet. The intervention group reported fewer grams of snacks consumed and had fewer daily minutes of television. Though, the study had overly representation of educated mothers with the likelihood of getting desirable responses. The study by Matvienko-Sikar et al. (2018), however, sought to prevent infant obesity using nutritionists who provided educational intervention including the message about healthy weight. The intervention group recorded reduced energy intake from refined drinks and no effect on overweight status.

Woo et al. (2017) conducted a two-year obesity prevention measures in a quasi-experimental research with low income preschool infants. The BMI were extracted from the WIC records and cross-sectional sample done on parents interviewed on behavioral outcome measures. No statistically significant changes in BMI z-scores were recorded in both interventions. In the results, no changes in screen time or vegetable and fruit intake were noted. Public health advocates underpin that childhood obesity is a societal problem and should not be individually approached. The findings by Ball et al. (2018) support this review since public health engage children in the layer of the society surrounding schools, child services, and support behavioral changes.

A number of articles on obesity prevention interventions focused on mothers and their children with every study managing to record a positive impact on nutrition. Gillian, Paula, and Stephanie (2016) found that childhood responsive feeding timed before weaning and anticipatory feeding guidance happen to be an effective intervention in the feeding practices. Breij et al. (2017) highlight that interventions which taught mothers to discriminate between other sources of distress and hunger contributed to lower weight for a length of one year. A systematic review by Matvienko-Sikar et al. (2018) indicated that mothers are receptive to health regulated information and suggested overweight intervention earlier in life, which might be the greatest preventive effect of obesity.

The aim of the study by Gillian, Paula, and Stephanie (2016) was to explore the views of health professionals at different schools with the goal to find a solution to childhood obesity. Findings indicated that even though nutrition have a role to play in managing infant obesity, efforts to addressing childhood obesity were limited by lack of a clear protocol and capacity. It is also a challenge to engage parents in the child’s program to prevent obesity and provide sufficient training necessary for a healthy lifestyle. These findings, altogether, reinforce the significance of investing in dietary interventions that prevent childhood obesity in the preschool level.

Conclusion

The purpose of this review was to reexamine the existing interventions and outcomes to provide better guidance for practitioners to promote healthy weight among minors. A growing body of evidence, as shown in the literature review, indicates that preschool years is a crucial window opportunity to prevent childhood obesity. Therefore, resources should be channeled to ensure that also vulnerable families benefit from the evidence presented in the current study. Essentially, parenting skills are important in influencing a child’s diet and activity level to enable them prevent childhood obesity.

References

Ball, G., Kebbe, M., Crespo, N. C., Talavera, G. A., Campbell, N. R., Shadron, L. M., Behar, A. I., … Elder, J. P. (November 01, 2018). A randomized controlled trial to prevent obesity among Latino paediatric patients: Prevent obesity among Latino paediatric patients. Pediatric Obesity, 13, 11, 697-704.

Breij, L. M., Kerkhof, G. F., De, L. R. E., Ong, K. K., Abrahamse-Berkeveld, M., Acton, D., & Hokken-Koelega, A. C. S. (January 01, 2017). Longitudinal fat mass and visceral fat during the first 6 months after birth in healthy infants: support for a critical window for adiposity in early life. Pediatric Obesity, 12, 4, 286-294.

Gillian, L. T., Paula, M. W., & Stephanie, O. (September 01, 2016). Addressing childhood obesity at school entry: Qualitative experiences of school health professionals. Journal of Child Health Care, 20, 3, 304-313.

Matvienko-Sikar, K., Kelly, C., Sinnott, C., McSharry, J., Houghton, C., Heary, C., Toomey, E., … Kearney, P. M. (April 01, 2018). Parental experiences and perceptions of infant complementary feeding: a qualitative evidence synthesis. Obesity Reviews, 19, 4, 501-517.

Macintyre, A. K., Marryat, L., & Chambers, S. (December 01, 2018). Exposure to liquid sweetness in early childhood: artificially‐sweetened and sugar‐sweetened beverage consumption at 4–5 years and risk of overweight and obesity at 7–8 years. Pediatric Obesity, 13, 12, 755-765.

Woo, B. J. A., Nelson, C. C., Perkins, M., Colchamiro, R., Leung-Strle, P., Kwass, J.-A., Gortmaker, S. L., … Taveras, E. M. (July 01, 2017). Childhood obesity prevention in the Women, Infants, and Children Program: Outcomes of the MA-CORD study. Obesity, 25, 7, 1167-1174.