NUTR 453 Medical Nutrition Therapy

What are 2 mechanisms by which cortisol can influence appetite regulation? 

The article on stress and pediatric obesity noted the following:

“Parents experiencing higher levels of stress may have less energy or resources necessary to engage their children.”

Describe a specific example of how this may manifest in the home environment with regard to the child’s eating/nutrition. Then tell how this manifestation in the home may contribute to child overweight/obesity.

Describe a specific example of how this may manifest in the home environment with regard to the child’s physical activity. Then tell how this manifestation in the home may contribute to child overweight/obesity.

Stress and paediatric obesity

Impact of parents stress on children’s eating/nutrition-Parents with high level of stress and energy may have less energy or resource to engage their children in healthy lifestyle and eating habits. For example parents who experience stress due to unemployment or low financial status may be engrossed in other priorities and they may ignore the nutritional needs of children. Even if they will to do so they may not provide adequate balanced diet to them due to financial constraints or lack of knowledge. This factor of ignoring child’s nutritional need due to parent’s experience of stress or depression may lead to obesity in children. Presence of psychosocial stress in parents affects the home environment and they may provide unhealthy food to children. Furthermore, parents stress contributes to stress in children too and they engage in unhealthy eating habits to cope with stress thus leading to obesity (Walton et al., 2014).

Impact of parents stress on children’s physical activity- Physical inactivity in children is a major contributor of childhood obesity and this occurs when compromised parenting takes place which promotes unhealthy behaviour at home. For example, this mostly occurs when parents are suffering from stress or depression and they do not take children out for some hour of physical activity or they try to cope with stress by keeping their children occupied in television viewing. Hence, this type of coping style promotes stress and increases children’s screen time and promotes inactive lifestyle. Therefore, children with depressed parents are less likely to meet physical activity recommendation for children and it contributes to weight gain and obesity (Walton et al., 2014).

Baby friendly hospital initiative 

Rooming-in practice is important for mothers and baby to rest together and connect with each other. It helps the baby to relax and help mother’s to learn about baby’s behaviour before taking them home. Mother gets increased confidence in caring for babies and better breast feeding experience. The benefit for baby is that they get stable body temperature, better quality of sleep and less exposure to harmful germs (Otsuka et al., 2014).

Breast feeding infants should not be given artificial needles or pacifier to promote breast feeding practices as it is the ideal milk for a baby which has no other substitutes. It create loving bond of babies with mother. The benefit for baby is that breast milk provides complete nutrition for baby in the first six months and protects the baby against bacterial and viral infection (Guidetochildcare.org, 2017).  

Principle of influence-application

The five principle of breastfeeding selected for application in the National School Lunch Program among elementary school students include scarcity, authority, consistency, consensus and liking.

To promote National School Lunch Program, scarcity principle will help in identifying groups who struggle to have their proper meals and then authority principle will help to establish policy and procedure to promote participation of children in National School Lunch Program. It will be based on a consensus decision with parents of young children who will ensure that their child attend school as well as get proper nutritious meals. The preparation of food according to children’s liking will promote the program and consistency in service will help the program to continue and support children of deprived families.

References

Guidetochildcare.org. (2017). Feeding the Newborn and Infants - Part 3 - Feeding Infants, Young Children and Adolescents - Dr. R. K. Anand's Guide to Child Care. [online] Available at: http://www.guidetochildcare.org/feeding-the-newborn-and-infants.htm [Accessed 5 Mar. 2017].

Otsuka, K., Taguri, M., Dennis, C. L., Wakutani, K., Awano, M., Yamaguchi, T., & Jimba, M. (2014). Effectiveness of a breastfeeding self-efficacy intervention: do hospital practices make a difference?. Maternal and child health journal, 18(1), 296-306.

Walton, K., Simpson, J. R., Darlington, G., & Haines, J. (2014). Parenting stress: a cross-sectional analysis of associations with childhood obesity, physical activity, and TV viewing. BMC pediatrics, 14(1), 244.