DNP Projects
Date of Award
7-31-2024
Document Type
Graduate Paper
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Department
Nursing
First Advisor
Carie Braun
Subject Categories
Nursing | Pediatric Nursing
Abstract
Background: Childhood obesity rates continue to rise, leading to comorbid conditions presenting in adolescence and adulthood (Durbin, 2018). Individualized toolkits focusing on various health habits have been identified as an effective intervention in pediatric primary care practices (Byrne et al., 2018; Henderson, 2021; Mead et al., 2017; Smith et al., 2021 & Wright et al., 2018). This project assessed barriers of the current obesity prevention program at a pediatric primary care clinic, Operation Get FIT. This project identified steps to revising Operation Get FIT to tailor it more to the needs and goals of the participating clinic, the providers, and the patients and families that seek care. The aim of this project was to create, implement, and evaluate the feasibility of using an evidence-based toolkit used during yearly well-child visits for children ages 2 to 12 years. Feasibility was determined by evaluating time efficiency, cost effectiveness, and satisfaction of families and providers.
Methods: Five primary care providers at one Midwestern pediatric primary care clinic participated in this feasibility study. The participating providers used the newly created individualized toolkit during routine well-child visits for patients aged 2 to 12 years old for three months. Following implementation semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants. The collected data were analyzed using qualitative inductive analysis.
Results: The toolkit was determined to be cost-effective, widely accepted by providers and families, and easily used during the timeframe of a well-child visit. Satisfaction among providers and families was a common theme. Results showed that the toolkit was interactive, informative, and tailored to the patient with supplemental age-appropriate activities.
Conclusion: This program evaluation supported using individualized childhood obesity toolkits as an efficient, cost-effective, and appropriate intervention for childhood obesity prevention and was feasible to use in daily practice. Future suggestions were to improve workflow and adherence to using the toolkit in daily practice and monitor its long-term effectiveness.
Copyright Statement
Copyright © Molly Sexe 2024
A poster associated with this document is available for download as an additional file at https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/nursing_dnp/5/.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Sexe, Molly, "Feasibility of Individualized Toolkits to Reduce Childhood Obesity in a Pediatric Primary Care Setting" (2024). DNP Projects. 5.
https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/nursing_dnp/5
Comments
The top of the page includes a blank line labeled “Child’s name.”
Below this is a four‑column table with the following headers: Health Habits, What’s Recommended, Daily Habits, and Results.
The table contains five rows:
Physical Activity
What’s Recommended: 1 hour (60 minutes) of physical activity each day
Daily Habits: “How much physical activity does your child get per day?”
Results: A row of ten star icons
Sugary Drinks
What’s Recommended: No sugary drinks, or limit to 1 serving (6 oz.) per week
Daily Habits: “How many sugary drinks per week does your child have?”
Results: Ten star icons
Fruits and Vegetables
What’s Recommended: At least 3 cups a day
Daily Habits: “How many cups of fruits and/or vegetables does your child get daily?”
Results: Ten star icons
Fruit Juice
What’s Recommended: 6 oz. or less of 100% fruit juice per day
Daily Habits: “How much fruit juice does your child get per day?”
Results: Ten star icons
Television/Screen Time
What’s Recommended: Less than 2 hours of television per day
Daily Habits: “How much screen time does your child have each day?”
Results: Ten star icons
To the right of the table is a colorful “My Healthy Checklist” graphic showing recommended daily servings:
Fruit: 1–2
Grains: 4–6
Vegetables: 2–3
Protein: 2–3
Exercise daily
Water
Below the table is a “Did you know?” section with short health facts, including information about screen time, sugar content in soda, the importance of modeling healthy behavior, and the cognitive benefits of physical activity.