Childhood Obesity Prevention Case Study

Childhood Obesity Prevention Obesity in children and adolescents has almost tripled over the past three decades in the United States (American Heart Association, 2015). Obesity in children is increasing at a faster rate than obesity in adults (Lakshman, Elks & Ong, 2012). Obesity in children and teens is described as having a body mass index (BMI) at the 95th percentile or above (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). This increase in childhood obesity places a major health challenge for the population because of the increase risk of developing chronic non-communicable illnesses (Lakshman et al., 2012).
There are multiple factors contributing to the prevention of childhood obesity by the primary care providers. Huang et al. (2011) identify a lack of office time to gather background information from families as a major impediment to addressing healthy weight. Other obstacles
The clinical question being asked is; If primary care providers use motivational interviewing techniques to counsel pediatric patient during office visit, will patients be motivated to make lifestyle changes that will result is weight loss and decrease body mass index (BMI). The intervention will include motivational interviewing (MI) by the primary care providers. The providers will be receiving training in MI prior to the implementation of the project. The intervention group will be counseled by the primary care provider using MI techniques such as empathic listening, reflecting listening and non-judgmental feedback for an additional ten minutes in addition to during office in additional to regular care. The control group will receive usual care and counseling on healthy eating and physical activity. Subjects will receive counseling every two weeks for the first three months and once monthly for seven months. Twelve months post the data will be evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the