A Health Professional’s Role in Childhood Obesity

The effects of childhood obesity is becoming a major issue in today’s society. The number of children who are now obese is continually on the rise. In fact, the number of instances of childhood obesity has more than tripled within the past thirty years. Statistics show that between sixteen and thirty-three percent of our children and adolescents today are obese.

Health Effects of Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity has some health effects that can eventually become quite serious. Metabolic syndrome refers to a cluster of conditions that will lead to heart disease and diabetes. Included in metabolic syndrome is high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess abdominal fat, and high cholesterol. It used to be that heart disease was predominantly seen in adults. However, with childhood obesity on the rise, the occurrence of heart disease is now being seen in children as well. If the obese child has poor eating habits, it is likely that the child will develop high blood pressure and high cholesterol. These will cause plaque to build up in the arteries, putting the child at risk for heart attack and stroke.

Diabetes is another physical complication that can be caused by obesity. Type 2 diabetes is when the body’s ability to metabolize sugar, or glucose, is affected. Type 2 diabetes is often caused by poor diet. The condition can often be reversed through healthy eating and exercise.

Breathing problems, such as asthma, can occur with childhood obesity as well. The extra weight of the child can actually interfere with the growth and development of the lungs. Sleep apnea involves problems with breathing correctly while sleeping. An obese child should be monitored during sleep to make sure the child isn’t having any trouble breathing. Snoring can also be caused by sleep apnea. Finally, obesity can cause a hormone imbalance in the child. This imbalance can create puberty or menstruation to begin way ahead of schedule.

Psychological Effects of Childhood Obesity

There are three major ways obesity can affect a child psychologically. Almost like a domino effect, when one occurs, the others are likely to follow. Due to the child’s excess weight, he/she may be prone to bullying. This bullying will often lead the child to develop very low self-esteem. If the child is always being picked on for being overweight, he/she will soon have a very distorted and low self-image, thus the second psychological effect. Between feeling badly about oneself and being subjected to the abuse of one’s peers, it is no wonder that the child would soon become depressed. This depression is the third major effect of childhood obesity.

LOOKING FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION?  CHECK OUT OUR CE COURSE ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY:

Childhood Obesity
1st Edition

BUY NOW

Childhood obesity has been declared an epidemic in the U.S. This course focuses on the current recommendations for the prevention, assessment, and treatment of childhood obesity. It reviews family relationships and their role in obesity as well as the role of media and marketing. Approaches for how to motivate patients and families to make changes is also discussed. It contains many practical strategies to apply in clinical care and prevention programs.

Course Objectives:

• Identify trends in childhood obesity and health consequences associated with childhood obesity.
• Discuss the many dietary, physical, and behavioral factors to consider when working with a child who is overweight or obese.
• Discuss the role families have in the prevention or development of childhood obesity.
• Describe the impact of media and food marketing on children’s health and nutrition, particularly obesity, and strategies to decrease the negative effects of food marketing on children.
• Identify the roles of schools, the community, and government in the prevention of obesity.
• Identify the components of an assessment for an obese child or adolescent.
• Apply the components of treatment in developing a program for an obese child or adolescent.
• Describe the Stages of Change Model and its application to behavioral counseling for childhood obesity.
• Describe the principles of motivational interviewing and its application in counseling the obese child, adolescent, and family.
• Identify obesity prevention and treatment programs targeted to children and adolescents in various settings.

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, CHECK OUT OUR RELATED CE COURSE ON BULLYING:

Bullies, Victims, and Bystanders: From Prevalence to Prevention
1st Edition

BUY NOW

This basic-level course provides an overview of bullying research and the prevalence of bullying in different settings. Far from being normal and harmless conflict, uninterrupted bullying presents a danger to the bully, the victim, and the bystanders. This course examines the consequences of bullying and its impact on the mental and physical health of each of these groups. Individual, group, and ecological approaches to intervention as well as strategies for prevention are presented to aid healthcare professionals in recognizing, preventing, and effectively intervening with bullying.

Course Objectives:

• Define bullying and the types of bullying behaviors.
• Describe the prevalence of bullying in schools and the workplace.
• Describe theoretical understandings of bullying behavior.
• Identify the characteristics of victims and bystanders.
• Explain the short- and long-term impact of bullying on the mental health of victims, bystanders, and bullies.
• Describe effective prevention and intervention strategies to address bullying.

* Participants will receive 4 (Clinical Content) continuing education clock hours upon successfully completing this course.
* This program is not yet NASW approved but may be accepted through our other accreditations.