What Nurses Say about Obesity - Term Paper Example

There exist some interventions, which nursing professionals can use to deal with the problem of obesity in minority children.
What Nurses Say About Obesity
Nursing professionals often deal with the cases of obesity in minority children. Interviews with some of the nursing professionals reveal that about 70 percent of the obese children did not use to do any physical exercise and just played video games for entrainment and watched television. Moreover, researchers have proved that almost 55 percent of obese children eat junk foods instead of eating fresh vegetables and fruits. The poor diet choice of such children increases the level of fat in the bodies of children making them overweight as compared to other children of their age who take a balanced diet daily.

Childhood obesity creates many risks for the future life of children. Smith (1999) states, “Obese people do not live as long as other people” (p. 5). Some of the most common health risks or consequences of childhood obesity include an increase in the levels of cholesterol in the body, joint pains, and a decrease in stamina. Whereas, some of common psychological found in obese children include low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence.

What Nurses Can Do
Nursing professionals can take some effective steps to deal with the problem of obesity in minority children. Some of the ways, which nurses can use, include creating awareness among children regarding the use of fruits and vegetables instead of junk foods, stopping them from taking sugary drinks, promoting the importance of physical exercises among children, and making them adhere to the principles of good body mechanics.

Health promotion is one of the key roles of a nurse. Nurses not only can influence healthcare but also they can motivate children to overcome the problem of obesity by taking considerable measures, such as, playing field games and taking a nutritious and balanced diet. Selective prevention is one of such techniques, which nurses can use to deal with the problem of obesity in minority children. Gill (1997) states, “Selective prevention measures are aimed at sub-groups of the population who are at a high risk for the development of obesity” (p. 363). Selective prevention strategies are focused on groups instead of large populations. Such strategies can be used effectively to deal with the cases of obesity in minority children.

In the countries like the United States of America and the United Kingdom, children of many immigrants face the problem of obesity because they are exposed to a different lifestyle. We can tale examples of Asian and Mexican immigrants who come to these countries and become fat in a very short span of time. The reason is that they are not used to the living and eating style of European and American people and start eating junk foods which they find low cost. The children of such people are more prone to the risk of obesity.
It is the role of the nurses to promote healthcare among children in order to prevent them from getting obese.

Nurses can make parents aware of the healthy and nutritious diet, which they can give to their children. Nurses can also make parents aware of the necessity of physical exercises for their children. Nurses can advise the parents to engage their children in physical activities as much as possible to come out of the risk of obesity. Nurses can also advise parents to provide a healthy diet to the children instead of providing them with easily available junk food. The role of nurses is not only to provide effective treatment to the children but also they need to make parents aware of the ways, which they can use to help their children keep away from obesity.

Conclusion
Summing it up, childhood obesity is one of the most serious health-related issues. Minority children are more prone to obesity because they are new to the lifestyle of developed countries and their bodies find it difficult to adapt to an easier lifestyle, which includes less need for physical exercise and more junk food. The role of nursing professionals is very important in this regard. They can create awareness among parents of such children regarding effective measures, which they need to take in order to deal with the problem of obesity.