Clinical update
Child obesity According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the UK has the highest rate of child obesity in western Europe. In England alone, around three in ten children aged two to 15 are now classified as either overweight or obese, and hospital admission rates for obesity-related health problems in children have increased more than four-fold in a decade. Without interventions, more than half of obese children will become obese adults, at increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Being overweight or obese also has a significant impact on a child’s quality of life, says NICE.
What’s new NICE has produced public health guidance on managing overweight and obesity in children and young people. Recommendations are for commissioners and providers of lifestyle and weight management programmes. The guidance covers a range of issues, including planning and commissioning services, raising awareness of programmes, and staff training.
Signs/symptoms According to the NHS Change4Life campaign, only 11.5 per cent of parents with overweight or obese children recognise the problem. Children who are overweight may have breathing problems, including asthma and apnoea, and easily become short of breath during exercise. They may also go through puberty earlier, have joint problems or develop iron and vitamin D deficiencies.
Expert comment Florence Mitchell is a lecturer in nursing, and childhood obesity co-ordinator at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University Belfast 18 december 4 :: vol 28 no 14 :: 2013
GETTY IMAGES
Essential facts
NICE public health guidance 47: Managing overweight and obesity among children and young people: lifestyle weight management services guidance (2013) nice.org.uk/ph47 Department of Health: Reducing obesity and improving diet (2013) tinyurl.com/budevos
Causes/risk factors Compared to previous generations, children today snack more and consume more carbohydrates and fats. They are also less active. Sleep deprivation has also been suggested as a contributory factor. Parents who are obese have an increased risk of their child being obese.
How you can help your patient Help parents and carers to see that their child is overweight or obese. Plotting the child’s weight on a growth chart (produced by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health) can help parents to understand how their child compares to others of the same age and gender. Parents need encouragement to help their child change their behaviour. NICE recommends taking a lifestyle approach to weight management, rather than quick fixes. Programmes should include parenting skills training, tailored plans for the child, and help to build activity into daily life.
‘The first thing is to be able to give parents a clear indication that their child is overweight. Many parents are blissfully unaware. As nurses, we need to be able to measure the child properly, so that we can show diagrammatically that the child is definitely overweight. ‘Managing weight loss in children takes a completely different mindset, as
Find out more
Department of Health: Healthy lives, healthy people – a call to action on obesity in England (2011) tinyurl.com/nenm8tp Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health: School age charts and resources (2013) tinyurl.com/mht5jv9 Effective dietary interventions for overweight and obese children (2008), Joanna Briggs Institute, Nursing Standard dx.doi.org/10.7748/ ns2008.01.22.18.35. c6309
we are usually looking at how they are getting bigger and taller. ‘There can be several excuses given about why a child is overweight, for example, “it’s just puppy fat”. ‘Excuses need to be challenged. Some parents are simply feeding their child too much and need help to know the right amount.’
NURSING STANDARD
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Child obesity According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the UK has the highest rate of child obesity in western Europe. In England alone, around three in ten children aged two to 15 are now classified as either overweight or obese, and hospital admission rates for obesity-related health problems in children have increased more than four-fold in a decade. Without interventions, more than half of obese children will become obese adults, at increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Being overweight or obese also has a significant impact on a child’s quality of life, says NICE.
What’s new NICE has produced public health guidance on managing overweight and obesity in children and young people. Recommendations are for commissioners and providers of lifestyle and weight management programmes. The guidance covers a range of issues, including planning and commissioning services, raising awareness of programmes, and staff training.
Signs/symptoms According to the NHS Change4Life campaign, only 11.5 per cent of parents with overweight or obese children recognise the problem. Children who are overweight may have breathing problems, including asthma and apnoea, and easily become short of breath during exercise. They may also go through puberty earlier, have joint problems or develop iron and vitamin D deficiencies.
Expert comment Florence Mitchell is a lecturer in nursing, and childhood obesity co-ordinator at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University Belfast 18 december 4 :: vol 28 no 14 :: 2013
GETTY IMAGES
Essential facts
NICE public health guidance 47: Managing overweight and obesity among children and young people: lifestyle weight management services guidance (2013) nice.org.uk/ph47 Department of Health: Reducing obesity and improving diet (2013) tinyurl.com/budevos
Causes/risk factors Compared to previous generations, children today snack more and consume more carbohydrates and fats. They are also less active. Sleep deprivation has also been suggested as a contributory factor. Parents who are obese have an increased risk of their child being obese.
How you can help your patient Help parents and carers to see that their child is overweight or obese. Plotting the child’s weight on a growth chart (produced by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health) can help parents to understand how their child compares to others of the same age and gender. Parents need encouragement to help their child change their behaviour. NICE recommends taking a lifestyle approach to weight management, rather than quick fixes. Programmes should include parenting skills training, tailored plans for the child, and help to build activity into daily life.
‘The first thing is to be able to give parents a clear indication that their child is overweight. Many parents are blissfully unaware. As nurses, we need to be able to measure the child properly, so that we can show diagrammatically that the child is definitely overweight. ‘Managing weight loss in children takes a completely different mindset, as
Find out more
Department of Health: Healthy lives, healthy people – a call to action on obesity in England (2011) tinyurl.com/nenm8tp Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health: School age charts and resources (2013) tinyurl.com/mht5jv9 Effective dietary interventions for overweight and obese children (2008), Joanna Briggs Institute, Nursing Standard dx.doi.org/10.7748/ ns2008.01.22.18.35. c6309
we are usually looking at how they are getting bigger and taller. ‘There can be several excuses given about why a child is overweight, for example, “it’s just puppy fat”. ‘Excuses need to be challenged. Some parents are simply feeding their child too much and need help to know the right amount.’
NURSING STANDARD
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Dec 03, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
