Assess weight-related health risks for pediatric patients

• Design effective strategies for communicating with parents or caregivers about children’s weight-related health
• Apply concepts, theories, and principles relating to health assessment techniques and considerations related to growth, measurement, and nutrition
• Apply assessment skills to collect patient health histories*

For this Discussion, you will consider examples of children with various weight issues. You will explore how you could effectively gather information and encourage parents and caregivers to be proactive about their children’s health and weight.
To prepare:
• Consider the following examples of pediatric patients and their families:
o Overweight 5-year-old boy with overweight parents
o Slightly overweight 10-year-old girl with parents of normal weight
o 5-year-old girl of normal weight with obese parents
o Slightly underweight 8-year-old boy with parents of normal weight
o Severely underweight 12-year-old girl with underweight parents
• Select one of the examples on which to focus for this Discussion. What health issues and risks may be relevant to the child you selected?
• Based on the risks you identified, consider what further information you would need to gain a full understanding of the child’s health. Think about how you could gather this information in a sensitive fashion.
• Consider how you could encourage parents or caregivers to be proactive toward the child’s health.
References
Ball, J. W., Dains, J. E., Flynn, J. A., Solomon, B. S., & Stewart, R. W. (2015). Seidel\’s guide to physical examination (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
• Chapter 6, “Growth and Measurement” (pp. 79-94)
In this chapter, the authors explain examinations for growth, gestational age, and pubertal development. The authors also differentiate growth amongst the organ systems.
Chapter 7, “Nutrition” (pp. 95-113)
This chapter focuses on how nutrition affects growth, development, and health maintenance. The authors also provide guidelines for assessing nutrient intake.
• Review of Chapter 26, “Recording Information” (pp. 616-631)
This chapter provides rationale and methods for maintaining clear and accurate records. The text also explores the legal aspects of patient records.
Sullivan, D. D. (2012). Guide to clinical documentation (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis.
• Chapter 3, \”Adult Preventative Care Visits\” (pp. 37–64)
• Chapter 4, \”Pediatric Preventative Care Visits\” (pp. 65–90)