Childhood Obesity: Interventions to Prevent Obesity

Dakota M. Luknis

Bitonte College of Health and Human Services, Youngstown State University

NURS 4832 Nursing Care of Children and Families

Dr. Sheila Blank

April 13, 2023

 Much like COVID-19, childhood obesity is considered to be a worldwide pandemic. One

fact that I learned from this article is that “in 2013, the Board voted to classify obesity as a

disease that requires medical attention. This classification aimed to emphasize health risks of

obesity, remove individual blame, and create new implications and opportunities for

intervention.” I think this is important because childhood obesity is finally being recognized as a

serious problem. This change allows for a better understanding of the condition, allows for

better prevention methods based on research and creates a pathway for the insurance companies

to reimburse the patients seeking treatment for their kids. There are a lot of factors that

contribute to childhood obesity, but today I want to focus on what we can do to prevent it.

There are three separate levels that childhood obesity can be targeted in the name of

prevention. Those three interventions are: Familial interventions, Community interventions and

school interventions. Familial interventions are based on the home environment. This consists

of things like routines, eating habits, screen time, sleep and physical activity. One

recommendation that stood out to me the most is children should get AT LEAST 60 minutes of

physical activity a day. I think this is a huge teaching point we need to portray to the

parents/caregivers of the patients we see. This, paired with a healthy diet will be extensive

dividends for years to come.

Community interventions have to do with “incorporating policies and strategies aimed at

reducing the population risk of obesity through legislation, modifications to the built

environment, provision of accessible resources, and changes in economic/pricing/food

subsidies.” This is speaking mostly about the community offering healthy alternatives like a

garden for fresh fruits and vegetables, a community recreation center, and community health
services like free clinics for less fortunate families to take their kids to be seen by a provider if

they can’t afford it.

School based interventions are really important because this is where the children spend

the majority of their time in their early lives. The schools can make a difference by

mandating/creating more physical education classes, allotting time for recess, improving school

playgrounds/facilities, offering healthier food in the cafeteria, and lastly offering classes based

on nutrition/healthy lifestyles to educate them on the health decisions they will be making. I

still remember a lot of what I learned in health class, both from high school and college.

However, I do wish I would’ve learned how to cook, especially some healthy dishes.

I think the three of these interventions together can make a big difference in the

children’s lives. Summarized with the key points, this article would be a great read for parents,

school administrators and even healthcare professionals so they can all tailor their health

care/education plans with the children’s health in mind. This article would also be a good

resource to provide to the lawmakers and people who make the policies. We need to get the

important facts that are provided in this article out to the world so we can do our part in

preventing childhood obesity to the best of our ability.