December 22, 2010 Response by Michelle Baek to “Advocating for
the Prevention of Childhood Obesity: A Call to Action for
Nursing” by Bobbie Berkowitz, PhD, RN, FAAN and Marleyse
Borchard, MPH (January 31, 2009). Increasingly children are
coming through the emergency room with obesity-associated
conditions. I have noticed this in my continuing role as a
pediatric registered nurse (RN). One in every five children is
overweight, and rates of obesity have tripled since the 1960’s.
Berkowitz and Borchard in “Advocating for the Prevention of
Childhood Obesity: A Call to Action for Nursing” (January, 2009)
noted that race/ethnicity, parental knowledge, dietary habits,
and environmental influences all contribute to our obesity
epidemic. I believe that parental knowledge and understanding is
the basic and most influential factor in controlling childhood
obesity. Unfortunately, minority groups, such as Hispanics,
often fail to acknowledge the meaning and consequences of excess
weight. I believe the first step in contro