| Summary: | As the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity increases, more parents
will likely look to health care providers for information, support, guidance and referral to
appropriate services to help them manage their children's overweight condition. Little is
known about parents' experiences of having overweight children and their interactions
and experiences with Canadian health care professionals. This study addresses a gap in
the literature. Awareness of parental experiences is an important aspect of childhood
obesity prevention and treatment.
Using interpretive description as the methodology for this study, ten parents were
interviewed about their experiences of seeking health care for a child who was
overweight or obese. Parents' experiences with nurses, physicians and dietitians, were
reported. Interviews were audio taped, transcribed and the transcripts served as the
source documents for the study. Inductive logic was used throughout the data collection
and analytic process.
Findings from this study revealed that parents weighed a number of number
factors before seeking professional help. They reported a high level of dissatisfaction
with health care providers' services and a lack of resources and supports in the
community. Parents entered consultations with doctors, dietitians and nurses with
knowledge about nutrition and exercise that, for the most part, was not augmented by
their encounters with health care providers. Advice tended to be simplistic and did not
take into account the challenges faced by parents in enacting this advice in the context of
the family. Concerns about damage to children's self esteem resulting from treatment strategies and victimization by peers, family members and others ranked high among
parental concerns. As health care experts look for ways to control the growing epidemic
of childhood obesity, knowledge of parents' experiences with seeking and receiving help
to manage their children's weight may provide important information to consider in the
planning and delivery of nursing and other health care services. === Applied Science, Faculty of === Nursing, School of === Graduate
|
|---|
