The role of parents in the use of home based management to treat obesity in children - Assignment Example

? School: Topic: FINAL PAPER PREPARATION Lecturer: FINAL PAPER PREPARATION Topic The role of parents in the use of home based management to treat obesity in children Thesis Obesity in childhood carries so much effects and challenges, for which reason it remains one of the most crucial components of studies on obesity. Annotated Bibliography Golan, M., Weitzman, A., Apter, A., & Fainaru, M. (2008). Parents as the exclusive agents of change in the treatment of childhood obesity. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 67: 1130-1135. All four authors are child nutrition practitioners who have been in the field of professional practice for very long years. They also have credible academic knowledge and knowhow in the area of child nutrition and its effect on the growth and development of children. With least among them having a master degree, the in-depth academic knowledge of the writer guarantees superb quality of the source. What is more is the fact that these have been regular contributors to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which itself is a very credible journal. In their article, the writers argue that parents have a centralized role to play when it comes to the prevention, control and treatment of obesity in children. This is because in the opinion of the writers, parents have greater control of the nutritional decisions that children take. The authority of parents on the nutrition of children has been directly related to parents as agents for change in childhood obesity because nutrition remains the number one source or cause of obesity in children, even though other risk factors prevail. An enthusiasm to highlight the role of parents on childhood obesity would therefore be a direct way of holding the bull right by its horn. This source will act as one of the primary sources of information for the study. This is because it contains data and findings that are directly linked to the key thematic component of the research problem, which is the role of parents in management of childhood obesity. Harper, M. G. (2006). Childhood obesity: Strategies for prevention. Family Community Health. 29(4): 288-298. Harper has been a community health advocate and practitioner for several years, giving him in-depth and rich knowledge in community and people based health issues such as obesity. Indeed, as an advocate, most of the approaches used by the writer have been to highlight on preventive health care. For Harper to have written on strategies for preventing childhood obesity therefore exemplifies the kind of quality that his content has. What is more, this source was published in a very credible journal and found in the Ashford Database, which only accepts well researched sources of information. In the article, the writer argued that the best way to defend is to attack and so the approach to tackling childhood obesity is by ensuring that there is absolute prevention. Even though the writer admits that the prevention has often been a very difficult practice, depending on risk factors that might cause a particular case of obesity, he is also quick to add that there remain many other causes of childhood obesity that are easily preventable. This source will therefore be very useful to the study by investigating the various means by which home based strategies, the implementation of which are led by parents can be used in the prevention of obesity in children. The source shall therefore serve as one of the key primary sources of the study because of its focus on primary collection of data from various research settings that make generalization of information relatively easier. Jacobi, C., Agras, W. S., & Hammer, L. (2001). Predicting children’s reported eating disturbances at 8 years of age. Journal of American Academic Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 40(3): 364-372. The source, produced by three different professional in three different child-related areas of study is about one of the top quality pieces of research work on childhood obesity that can be found. This is because the issue of childhood obesity, especially for children at age 8 is brought to such a masterpiece of consideration by the writers. Also as an article in the Ashford Online Library and published by the Journal of American Academic Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, it would be noted that the authors have a world acclaimed credibility that makes their work accepted in such peer reviewed database and journal respectively. Into the specifics of the research that was done by the researchers, it is established that eating disturbances is one of the commonest causes of obesity among children at the age of 8. This is because as these children acquire all kinds of eating habits at very early ages that are not well monitored, they tend to develop these into disturbing eating behavior, leading to difficulty in doing away with the behaviors at old age. It is for this reason the writers advocate a preventive approach at the early stage of 8. Once used as a primary source in the final research, the researcher shall further build on the findings that were made in this source. This shall be done by assigning specific tasks and duties to parents in the fight or battle against eating disturbances. As a major cause of obesity, child obesity as a larger phenomenon or challenge in children is likely to cease when eating disturbances cease. Perryman M, Nielsen S and Booth J (2008). An Examination of the Family’s Role in Childhood Obesity. Accessed February 21, 2013 from http://counselingoutfitters.com/vistas/vistas08/Nielsen.htm The credibility of this online source is in the years of experience that the writers have earned or acquired as contributors to several credible internet sources. Currently writing for the counseling out fitters website, it would be noted that the three writers have had years of experience in the field of pediatric health, based on which they are able to make very authoritative claims and conclusions on the topic of childhood obesity. What is more, it is learn of the writers as doubling as researchers who back most of their claims with empirical statistical data and proofs. Writing on the topic of the family’ role in childhood obesity, the writers identify the home as the first agent of change when it comes to the management of obesity in children. The simple reason assigned to this role is that all children are born into homes and the home is the place where nutrition starts. Meanwhile, nutrition continues to be the most significant risk factor associated with obesity. With the family’s role clearly identified therefore, there is going to be a major stake in the combat of obesity in children. According to the source, even though other agents other than the home also serve as stakeholders for the control and treatment of childhood obesity, it is the home that carries a preventive stake. This source will be used as a primary source as it generally builds on existing primary research work. Whiles using the source, the various ways by which the home can be tasked to accept its identified roles shall be investigated. Wilkins, S. E., Kendrick, O. W., Stitt, K. R., & Hammarlund, V. A. (2011). Family functioning is related to overweight children. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 98(5), 572-574. This is another source that is going to be used as secondary data source for the study. This initiative is taken as the source was generally constructed based on an existing primary source. This however takes nothing away from the source in terms of its quality and credibility. Generally, it would be noted that all authors have been regular contributors to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association for almost a decade. With their experience, they are many articles on nutrition and family health that have been written either as the work of the independent authors or as a group. In the current article, the writers took a firm stand on the effect of family functioning on overweight in children. The stand taken by the writers what that most family functioning are to blame for overweight in children. This is because these family functioning are carried out in a way that does not give regard and credence to checking lifestyle and behavior of children that possibly result in obesity. This source shall be useful in the study as a critical paper that shall provide credible academic and professional basis for tasking families as the first agent of change when it comes to obesity in children. References Golan, M., Weitzman, A., Apter, A., & Fainaru, M. (2008). Parents as the exclusive agents of change in the treatment of childhood obesity. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 67: 1130-1135. Harper, M. G. (2006). Childhood obesity: Strategies for prevention. Family Community Health. 29(4): 288-298. Jacobi, C., Agras, W. S., & Hammer, L. (2001). Predicting children’s reported eating disturbances at 8 years of age. Journal of American Academic Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 40(3): 364-372. Perryman M, Nielsen S and Booth J (2008). An Examination of the Family’s Role in Childhood Obesity. Accessed February 21, 2013 from http://counselingoutfitters.com/vistas/vistas08/Nielsen.htm Wilkins, S. E., Kendrick, O. W., Stitt, K. R., & Hammarlund, V. A. (2011). Family functioning is related to overweight children. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 98(5), 572-574. Read More