Assessment Tools and Diagnostic Tests in Adults and Children

Assessment Tools and Diagnostic Tests in Adults and Children

The prevalence of weight related issues in the United States have tripled in the recent past. The negative impacts of being overweight, underweight or obese on development of children have risks extending to adult hood. Nurse practitioners must therefore use assessment tools and diagnostic tests to implement correct and effective diagnostic tools while putting into consideration factors like factors like accuracy, reliability and sensitivity of tests. The case provided focuses on severely underweight 12-year-old Hispanic girl with underweight parents who has been bullied in school just recently. The paper seeks to asses issues relevant to the child in the scenario and evaluate Information that would be required to assess the child's weigh related health issue. Lastly, the paper will identify strategies than could be used to encourage the proactivity of providers on the child’s weight and health. Health Issues and Risks Relevant to the Child Assigned There are several factors contributing to being underweight amongst children. The child provided in the case faces several health related risks and issues. The 12 year old child is severely underweight and has underweight parents. This could be attributed to previous poor exclusive breastfeeding, insufficient complementary diet and poor diversity in diet. She could therefore be lacking essential nutrients in her body due to malabsorption or malnutrition. Given the severity of her weight condition, she is at risk of delayed developmental milestones, susceptibility to infections and retarded brain development. According toKim et al. (2016), there is high prevalence of obesity among Hispanic children,