Childhood obesity and prevention approaches

Childhood obesity has increased dramatically during the past two decades. The growing incidence of childhood obesity is alarming, given the significant short and long term health problems associated with obesity. Being overweight or obese may increase the rate of non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adulthood. It may contribute to shortening life expectancy and adversely affects the quality of life. Therefore, it is important to prevent childhood obesity. Nursing management of childhood obesity is multidimensional and includes the evaluation of physical, social and emotional of child and the family such as health promotion, increasing physical activity, measurement of body mass index, height and weight monitoring, determining the child's family practices affecting food intake, being responsive to the needs of families and cooperating with the family. Obesity prevention begins in the perinatal period thus the nurse should plan and implement interventions to protect from obesity according to the life cycle of childhood. Nurses are in a unique role in interaction with families, so they can help prevention and management of obesity and overweight in children.\nKey words: Children, obesity, nurse, prevention strategies [TAF Prev Med Bull 2015; 14(4.000): 338-345]