In: Nursing
Madison is a 10 year-old African American girl. She
loves playing the piano and composing her own music. She is an avid
computer wiz, taking after her father. She has designed all the
family birthday cards and loves playing video games. When she comes
home from school, she has a sweet snack, finishes her homework, and
goes straight to the piano to practice. She spends hours at the
keyboard, and by mealtime she says she is hungry.
Madison is 48 inches tall and weighs 98 pound. Knowing
that the family has a tendency to be heavier, her mother, Amy, is
concerned about Madison’s weight; Amy has been on and off Weight
Watchers program for 15 years. Amy feels Madison should have more
physical activity and needs to stop snacking on cupcakes and
sweets. Madison is due for a preschool checkup. Amy is planning to
ask the doctor for help with Madison’s weight.
What information does the dietitian need to know to
help Madison?
Who needs to be involved in the plan for it to be
successful?
What strategies could you suggest to Madison would be
successful but have fun in the process?
Body mass index (BMI) provides an approximate estimated value of requiring body weight for a particular height (weight-for-height).
The BMI value of 25-30 indicates overweight. This is also equal to, having 10% to 20% of the excess body weight than the required body weight. A BMI below 18.5 is considered underweight. A BMI value of above 30 indicates obesity. BMI can be calculated by the following formula.
In the given case, Madison is a 10-year-old child, but her BMI is, 29.90 which means, she is at risk of obesity. The dietician should consider the growth history of Madison from the time of birth, till now. As different children have different growth patterns at various growth stages, the dietician should consider this information, and also a family history of obesity and growth pattern.
Educating Madison and her family members about the nutrient values of different diets and the effect of obesity on health are much more important to make any strategy framed by the dietician to work.
From the given information it can be observed that Madison has very less physical activity and consume high-calorie diets. Madison needs to have more physical activity and consume more fruit and vegetable-based food rather than processed food. To include fun in this process, Madison can be encouraged to try different veggie recipes with balanced-calorie value. Madison should also be encouraged to observe how her body feels with different diets and how her weight is changing.
It is important to note that Madison should not be placed on a low-calorie diet as it may interfere with her growth process. Instead, including a balanced diet and regular physical activity should be included in the first place.