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Updated: Jul 5, 2025
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Public health nurses' experiences following up children with overweight and obesity according to national guidelines.
Hanna Skjelbred Nygaard1, Kirsten Gudbjørg Øen1
1Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway.
Insights
Primary health nurses find follow-up care for childhood obesity challenging. They need clearer guidelines and more resources to effectively support families and improve child health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Public Health Nursing
- Obesity Management
Background:
- Childhood overweight and obesity are significant public health concerns.
- Effective follow-up care is crucial for managing pediatric obesity.
- Current follow-up practices by primary health nurses (PHNs) require examination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore PHNs' experiences with follow-up care for overweight and obese primary school children.
- To identify how existing guidelines can be improved to enhance health services for pediatric obesity.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative content analysis of semi-structured interviews.
- Study involved 9 primary health nurses (PHNs).
Main Results:
- PHNs view managing childhood obesity as an important yet difficult task.
- Key challenges include handling parental emotions and feeling isolated in their responsibility.
- PHNs desire clearer guidelines and better resources for communication.
Conclusions:
- PHNs advocate for improved communication strategies and shared goal-setting with families.
- Enhanced guidelines should provide tools for effective communication and addressing parental concerns.
- Increased funding and political action are recommended to strengthen pediatric obesity follow-up and prevention.
Purpose:
This study aimed to develop knowledge of how the follow-up regarding overweight and obesity among children in primary school is experienced by the PHN and how the guidelines may be used to improve health services in this follow-up.
Methods:
We analysed semi-structured interviews of 9 PHNs using qualitative content analysis.
Results:
Two themes emerged: Following up with children with overweight and obesity is an important but challenging duty; The PHNs call for clearer guidelines. Following five sub-themes: PHNs strive to adhere to the guidelines, show compassion in the follow-up, have difficulty handling parents' feelings and reactions, feel alone with the responsibility, and have suggestions for clearer guidelines.
Conclusions:
PHNs call for enough resources to communicate the results of the child's weight in a sufficient form. PHNs and families should establish common goals. The PHN should avoid one-way communication but meet the parents' concerns and needs. This requires the PHN to focus on building a secure relation to the child and the families, as described by Peplau. Guidelines must include instructions and tools on how to communicate and meet the family's concerns. Political action and increased funding could strengthen the follow-up and thereby prevent more obesity among children, which can be a predictor of poorer health outcomes later in life.
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