Barn- och ungdomars uppfattning om sin övervikt och fetma som ett problem samt skillnader i aktivitetsnivån hos barn- och ungdomar beroende på deras sociala familjesituation
BackgroundIncreased prevalence of obesity in children- and young adults and risk for diseases related to obesity will increase the burden on medical care. It is important to identify early risk factors that can be noticed by nurses in the daily work.AimThe aim was to investigate whether children- and young adults themselves perceive overweight as a problem and if there was a difference in the measured activity levels between overweight children- and young adults in families with different socio-economic family status.Method descriptionExisting survey from the Obesity Centre at the Akademiska Sjukhuset were examined together with the results from an accelerometer, where children- and young adults activity was recorded, compared to their perception of how active they were. The results were compared using a statistical software program and compiled with descriptive and non-parametric statistics.ResultsThe results do suggest that the majority of children- and young adults experiencing excessive weight have a problem in their everyday lives. Nearly half overestimate themselves as more active than what the actual measurements with accelerometer demonstrated. Much time is spent in front of the TV and computers. The results showed no significant difference recording the level of activity and the socio-economic family status.ConclusionObesity is a topic that is considered to be sensitive to talk about. Many children- and young adults perceive the overweight as a problem, which makes them less self-esteem and affect their daily lives negatively. Knowing this is important for the nurse to be able to give individualized care and provide support for the lifestyle change that involves the whole family.