Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs) play an important role in health promotion and health education for people of all ages and backgrounds. FNPs provide services to patients and families throughout their lives, from infants to the elderly, and therefore have a broad enough view and field of observation that allows them to identify the most pressing problems and needs of patients and understand how they have a lifelong impact. One such problem that begins in childhood and can have severe negative consequences throughout life is childhood obesity. Learning about this pressing problem and finding innovative ways to deal with it early can have a positive impact on the health of many patients, ease the burden on the healthcare system, and reduce the cost of dealing with the problem.
Various search strategies were used for the study, including keyword search, rubric search, and citation search to find up-to-date information and explore both primary research and articles based on research analysis. Search sources include several databases such as CINAHL Ultimate, MedLine Complete, DynaMed Plus, and APA PsycINFO. The analyzed literature testifies to the existence and acuteness of the problem of obesity among children. The prevalence of obesity was 19.7% and affected about 14.7 million children and adolescents (Tran et al., 2019). The severity of the problem is also driven by obesity-related conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, breathing problems such as asthma and sleep apnea, and joint problems (Bates et al., 2018). In addition, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of obesity have increased across all age ranges, from a 1.0% increase for patients aged 13 to 17 years to 2.6% for patients aged 5 to 9 years (Jenssen et al., 2021). Obesity has reached global proportions and has become a problem that requires more serious consideration.
A potential innovation that might be considered as a solution to the problem is the increased use of mobile applications. In a playful way, it could inform children about the causes and consequences of obesity, as well as recommend basic steps for weight loss and recovery. Applications may include a game system of achievements and rewards, as well as interactions and communications with other users of the application. Similar applications exist for adult patients, but there are not enough similar products on the market that would be relevant and interesting for children. FNPs could encourage parents of obese children to use these mobile apps and encourage them.
References
Bates, C. R., Buscemi, J., Nicholson, L. M., Cory, M., Jagpal, A., & Bohnert, A. M. (2018). Links between the organization of the family home environment and child obesity: a systematic review. Obesity reviews, 19(5), 716-727. Web.
Jenssen, B. P., Kelly, M. K., Powell, M., Bouchelle, Z., Mayne, S. L., & Fiks, A. G. (2021). COVID-19 and changes in child obesity. Pediatrics, 147(5). Web.
Tran, B. X., Dang, K. A., Le, H. T., Ha, G. H., Nguyen, L. H., Nguyen, T. H & Ho, R. C. (2019). Global evolution of obesity research in children and youths: Setting priorities for interventions and policies. Obesity Facts, 12(2), 137-149. Web.