NURS 6512 Assessment Tools and Diagnostic Tests in Adults and Children

NURS 6512 Assessment Tools and Diagnostic Tests in Adults and Children

One of the most prevalent chronic diseases in the US continues to be obesity. The high incidence of obesity continues to pressure the American healthcare system since it significantly contributes to death, morbidity, disability, healthcare utilization, and costs (Anderson et al., 2019). Anthropometric measures and information gathering on a client’s medical history, clinical and biochemical characteristics, dietary habits, current treatments, and food security situation are all included in nutrition assessment. Nutritional status is the body’s state concerning each nutrient and its overall weight and condition, and it plays a significant role in promoting health and preventing and treating disorders.

Rapid and easy identification of individuals who may be malnourished or at risk of malnutrition and require a more thorough nutrition evaluation can be done before a complete nutrition assessment. Checking for bilateral pitting edema, evaluating weight and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), and asking about recent illnesses and hunger are all simple nutrition screening techniques. Standardized training is needed for nutrition screening per local and national health regulations. The paper highlights health issues identified in a 5 – year old overweight black boy with overweight parents that are full-time employees.

Relevant Health Issues and Risks

Preschoolers of color (ages 2–5) have slightly higher rates of obesity than white children. Black children, however, have greater obesity prevalence rates by age 6. Lifestyle choices like nutrition, activity level, culture, environment, and parental judgments are all connected to obesity in preschoolers (Anderson et al., 2019). Issues identified in the 5- year -old boy are age, race, family history of obesity, full-time parental employment, and grandparent’s care. A myriad of health issues, including diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea, stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, eating disorders, hypertension, stroke, asthma, cancer, breathing problems, bone, and joint disorders, gall bladder disease, infertility, eating disorders, dyslipidemia, liver problems, high cholesterol, and sleep issues are all at risk for patients with childhood obesity.

In many high-income countries, paid work has increased in two-parent and lone-parent families during the past few decades. These changes are primarily the result of more mothers entering the workforce. It has been proposed that parental employment, specifically maternal employment, is a risk factor for childhood obesity. Lack of adequate leisure outside of work has been cited as a major mechanism for a relationship between employment and childhood overweight (Fryar et al., 2018). Due to time constraints, it may be challenging to promote a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet and regular mealtimes, encouraging kids to participate in physical activity, limiting their screen time, and having kids walk to school rather than be driven.

 

Grandparents can have a significant impact on the growth and development of their grandchildren. Parent-child care is associated with a 30% greater incidence of childhood obesity and overweight (Sadruddin et al., 2019). Some believe that “the bigger, the healthier” is still valid. Some grandparents could view a child’s larger weight as a sign of health. As a result, some kids are advised to eat larger portions and more frequently. Some grandparents may give children candy and fried foods as a gesture of love and goodwill. In some cultures, grandparents may even be more willing to excuse kids from completing duties around the house, which is a crucial exercise.

Gathering Further Information

A comprehensive history is vital in the patient’s evaluation. The Pediatric Obesity Algorithm is an evidence-based guide for diagnosing and treating obese children (Fryar et al., 2018). A healthcare provider should gain further information on the diet, activity level, family social history, including the parent’s working hours, birth and developmental history, and parental perceptions of obesity, and screen for any obesity-related complications. Because controlling these behaviors is essential to the success of any weight-management program, it is important to rule out the possibility of food-seeking behavior, bingeing, lack of satiety, purging, night-eating syndrome, and other abnormal feeding patterns.

For diet inventory, the healthcare provider should utilize the 24 – hour recall, food group, and food frequency questionnaire. The history of the breast- or bottle-feeding, the timing of

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