Pediatric obesity caused by fast-food consumption is a significant issue in nursing practice. Comprehensive family lifestyle interventions proved to be effective in reducing unhealthy eating behaviors and body mass in pediatric patients (Janicke et al., 2014). The nursing-focused plan is to design a lifestyle intervention that would reduce fast-food consumption in children, thus decreasing their risk of obesity. The present paper will outline the change plan and summarize the evidence in support of it.
Change Model Overview
The ACE Star model involves five steps that are involved in the evidence-based practice process: knowledge discovery, summary, translation, integration, and evaluation. The model provides a useful way for nurses to generate knowledge from research evidence and apply it in their practice.
Define the Scope of the EBP
The practice issue that the change plan is focused on is high fast-food consumption in children. Fast food consumption is a critical problem as it increases children’s risk of developing obesity. According to a study by Braithwaite et al. (2014), frequent or very frequent fast-food consumption was found in 27% of children. A link between fast food and obesity was reported by Zhao, Wang, Xue, Wang, and Wand (2017), who showed that children who consumed a lot of fast food were at a significantly higher risk of obesity.
Stakeholders
Pediatric nursing is the chosen practice area because it is greatly influenced by the issue. The team will include three pediatric nurses who have experience in working with obese children. The charge nurse will be the leader of the present project.
Determine Responsibility of Team Members
The project leader will be responsible for planning, task allocation, and coordinating the work of the team. Two supporting pediatric nurses will be involved in generating research evidence and recruiting pediatric patients and families to participate in the studies.
Evidence
In addition to the evidence summary, two research articles about the issue of high fast-food consumption in children were identified. Both studies provide a strong level of evidence due to the high number of participants involved and the focus on quantitative data.
Summarize the Evidence
The systematic review by Janicke et al. (2014) researched the effectiveness of comprehensive behavioral family lifestyle interventions in reducing pediatric obesity. The researchers included 20 studies in their review, with a total number of 1,671 participants. The study found that behavioral family lifestyle interventions were useful in reducing children’s BMI and improving their eating habits (Janicke et al., 2014).
Develop Recommendations for Change Based on Evidence
The need for change is evidenced by the high prevalence of pediatric patients who are overweight or obese and consume fast food regularly. The study by Braithwaite et al. (2014) found that 27% of children in 17 countries consume fast food frequently or very frequently. The study also provides evidence in support of the link between fast-food consumption and obesity. A different study by Zhao et al. (2017) showed the connection between frequent fast-food consumption, obesity, and hypertension in children. The recommendation is to introduce behavioral family lifestyle interventions that would help pediatric patients and their families to consume less fast food.
Translation
Action Plan
The project will follow the ACE Star model for evidence-based practice processes. Firstly, it will be important to conduct further research on childhood obesity and fast food consumption. Secondly, the team will summarize the evidence by producing a literature review. Thirdly, the team will design an intervention that will help to achieve the project’s goals. To integrate the project into practice, the team will recruit participants and families to test the intervention. Lastly, the results will be evaluated using self-reported data and BMI of children to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. The planned timeline for the project is six months, with follow-ups at three and six months.
Process, Outcomes Evaluation, and Reporting
The desired outcomes of the project are the reduced frequency of fast food consumption and BMI among the participants. The former outcome will be measured using a survey that will be filled out by the participant’s parents or caregivers. The BMI will be measured based on objective data obtained by nurses during follow-up visits to the clinic. The results will be reported to the key stakeholders through internal communication channels, such as e-mails.
Identify Next Steps
If the intervention is effective, the information about the project will be provided to other pediatric units and facilities. However, the intervention might not apply to other units in the facility because they treat adult patients. To ensure that the implementation is permanent, the nurses will provide information about the project to other care providers and use the project’s recommendations in patient education.
Disseminate Findings
Internally, the findings will be communicated in a short report with critical data on the intervention and its outcomes. The report will be distributed by e-mail or through the facility’s portal. External stakeholders will also be able to access the report from the company’s website.
Conclusion
Overall, fast-food consumption in children is a serious issue that affects pediatric nursing practice. Frequent fast-food consumption in children poses a significant risk of obesity and hypertension, and thus behavioral family lifestyle interventions should be used to address the issue. The proposed project will follow the ACE Star change model by generating, summarizing, translating, integrating, and evaluating the evidence available. To maintain the change plan, the team will disseminate the results of the project and assist those interested in implementing the intervention.
References
Braithwaite, I., Stewart, A. W., Hancox, R. J., Beasley, R., Murphy, R., & Mitchell, E. A. (2014). Fast-food consumption and body mass index in children and adolescents: An international cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 4(12), e005813. Web.
Janicke, D. M., Steele, R. G., Gayes, L. A., Lim, C. S., Clifford, L. M., Schneider, E. M.,… Westen, S. (2014). Systematic review and meta-analysis of comprehensive behavioral family lifestyle interventions addressing pediatric obesity. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 39(8), 809-825.
Zhao, Y., Wang, L., Xue, H., Wang, H., & Wang, Y. (2017). Fast food consumption and its associations with obesity and hypertension among children: Results from the baseline data of the childhood obesity study in China mega-cities. BMC Public Health, 17(1), 933-942.