Overview
The proportion of children above a healthy weight continues to rise. Nurses can identify children at-risk, educate families and combat weight stigma. Nurse-led interventions are flexible, cost-effective and have proven effective in various settings. Supporting nurses with training, resources, and leadership opportunities is crucial to optimise impact.
ACN Factsheet – Working with children above a healthy weight
Around one in four Australian children aged four to fifteen years of age are overweight or obese. Childhood obesity is linked with many health risks and chronic health conditions and is expected to double by 2035. It is important to intervene early and support healthy growth in children. Nurses are in a unique position to assist with child obesity and ensure early intervention. This fact sheet provides practical advice for nurses, ‘keeping the conversation open’, eight healthy habits for children, the National Obesity Strategy, and other external resources.
Key recommendations
ACN recommends:
ACN commends and supports the recommendations from The Obesity Collective, 2024 report “Obesity in Australia: A Time for Action,” and additionally recommends:
- Every school-aged child in Australia has access to a suitably qualified registered nurse.
- Reform of current healthcare funding models to prioritise nurse-led models of care for areas that intersect nurses and children.
- The normalisation of collection and discussion of height and weight data of all children, with longitudinal mapping on WHO recommended growth charts, as outlined in the “Working with Children Above a Healthy Weight: ACN Fact Sheet.”
- Empowering the nursing workforce via professional development to identify children at risk and provide timely, sensitive interventions targeting a whole-family approach to improve eating and activity behaviours.
