The relationship between childhood obesity and depression

Abstract

Childhood overweight and obesity are serious health conditions affecting many children and adolescents worldwide. Depression is an equally serious diagnosis that is postulated as a precursor for obesity and overweight Screening for depression is recommended as a preventive measure to reduce the prevalence of obesity for persons of all ages. The purpose of this investigative review was to establish which interventions, if any, were being utilized to reduce this pandemic by screening for depression. Although no intervention studies were discovered that have been specifically utilized to screen for depression as a means of reducing obesity in children, multiple studies were analyzed that indicated positive connections between depression in childhood and obesity in adulthood. Interventions were determined that are effective and easy to use for nurses in clinical practice, both in the community and acute patient settings. Moreover, no studies were discovered where nurses are currently implementing the depression screening interventions recommended by nursing literature, generally due to clinical setbacks and a lack of education on proper screening and Body Mass Index calculation. If evidence based interventions are implemented, nurses along with other healthcare professionals can help decrease the incidence, prevalence, and severity of childhood overweight and obesity.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2010

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Lafferty, Patricia

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.)

College

College of Nursing

Degree Program

Nursing

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Nursing;Nursing -- Dissertations, Academic

Format

Print

Identifier

DP0022492

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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