This guideline provides nurses across all practice settings with evidence-based practice, education, system, organization and policy recommendations for the primary prevention of obesity in infants, preschool, and elementary-school-aged children.
This guideline provides nurses across all practice settings with evidence-based practice, education, system, organization and policy recommendations for the primary prevention of obesity in infants, preschool, and elementary-school-aged children.
As an introduction, we’ve provided summaries of the practice recommendations from the BPG document — but we strongly encourage downloading RNAO’s official PDF.
Routinely assess children’s nutrition, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and growth according to established guidelines, beginning as early as possible in a child’s lifespan.
Assess the family environment for factors (e.g. parenting/primary caregiver influences and socio-cultural factors) that may increase children’s risk of obesity.
Collaborate with school leaders to assess elementary-school environments for risk and protective conditions that influence childhood obesity, including:
Assess neighbourhoods for community-level risk and protective conditions that influence childhood obesity.
Engage community stakeholders when planning primary-prevention interventions for childhood obesity.
Develop interventions that are:
Support exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life followed by breastfeeding and complementary feeding up to two years of age or beyond.
Provide education and social support to help parents/primary caregivers to promote healthy eating and physical activity in infants and toddlers.
Collaborate with parents/primary caregivers, educators and support staff (e.g. teachers, child care providers, school leaders) to promote healthy eating and physical activity in all settings where preschool children gather.
Collaborate with school communities to promote regular physical activity among elementary-school children.
Facilitate and support the integration of health and nutrition education into elementary-school programs and support the improvement of the school food environment.
Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the family’s approach to healthy eating and physical activity.
Evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of school- and community-based primary-prevention initiatives.
Advocate and support the evaluation of an organization’s compliance with healthy public policies, and the impact of such policies on childhood eating behaviours and physical activity.
