The rising prevalence of obesity in children has become a major concern in healthcare. According to statistics, the prevalence of obesity in children 2-5 years is 12.7% and 20.7% in children aged between 6 and 11 years (CDC, 2022). Obesity puts children at risk of poor health outcomes in childhood and adulthood. According to Sanyaolu et al. (2019), children who are obese are likely to remain that way even in adulthood, putting them at risk of developing chronic conditions including stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, among other top ten leading causes of death in America. Hence, monitoring a child’s weight is essential in preventing potential obesity. In most cases, obesity is due to lifestyle and living conditions. In the chosen case study, an overweight five-year-old child has parents who are overweight and working all the time, which reveals a great deal of information regarding the child’s socioeconomic circumstances and risk factors for poor health outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the boy’s case and identify the risk factors he is exposed to owing to his surroundings and family lifestyle.
Health Issues and Risks
The child is overweight, which is of great concern because it puts the child at risk of obesity. Obesity is a risk factor for multiple conditions that impact a child’s functioning, growth and development, and overall well-being. Children with overweight and obesity issues are likely to develop sleep disorders, type 2 diabetes, asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, gallstones, liver problems and early puberty. In addition, being overweight or obese can also lead to low social competence in children. The likelihood of overweight or obese children being bullied is 63% greater than other children (Sanyaolu et al., 2019). Bullying has sociopsychological effects on children, including isolation, low self-esteem, poor body image, depression, suicide, and anxiety. In the case study, the child is only five years old, and experiences of bullying and its sociopsychological implications can negatively impact his growth and development.
Additionally, the boy’s weight indicates that he is not eating healthy foods and snacks physical activity. Indulging in high sugar content and processed foods more than healthy choices leads to being overweight. Since the parents are working almost all the time, they do not have time to prepare proper meals; hence rely on first food and soft drinks for meals. A lack of healthy meal options means that the boy does not get enough nutritional nutrients that he needs at his stage for proper growth and development (Dains et al., 2019). This puts him at risk of deficiencies and poor health outcomes because of low immunity that cannot sufficiently fight off pathogens causing diseases. For example, he can be susceptible to infections. Moreover, both parents are overweight, which points to the possibility of the overweight being a genetic issue. Nevertheless, whether genetic or not, being overweight puts the patient at risk of obesity and other health issues.
Additional Information
The child’s background suggests that he comes from a low socioeconomic background. Therefore, additional information would be focused on evaluating the child’s social determinants of health and other issues that impact weight. For example, information about the child’s eating habits and availability of basic needs, including healthy meal choices. This information will help to know what the child’s nutrition is like and whether it is the cause of his overweight. Additionally, information on the child’s physical activity will also be an essential part of the assessment (Srinath et al., 2019). For example, asking the child if they enjoy playing out with friends or if he spends most of his time in the house watching television and playing video games. If the child is living a sedentary lifestyle without engaging in physical play, it can contribute to their overweight. The living conditions also can impact the child’s health; for example, if they live in a place with a playing field or have no space for playing, it discourages physical activity while encouraging a sedentary lifestyle (Smith et al. 2020).
Health Risks
The child’s well-being and health are at stake because of being overweight. The first health risk is obesity. I would collect information by measuring the child’s weight and height and then calculating the BMI. Secondly, the child is at risk of developing one or more chronic conditions such as diabetes or heart problems. I would assess this information by asking about the child’s health, including recent hospitalizations, if any. The child may also be at risk of psychosocial development because being overweight affects interaction with peers. Hence,
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