Date of Graduation
5-2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Nursing
Advisor/Mentor
Shreve, Marilou
Committee Member/Reader
Smith-Blair, Nancy J.
Committee Member/Second Reader
Vowell-Johnson, Kelly
Abstract
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a screening tool to measure body fat that is calculated based on the height, weight, age, and gender of a child. Being overweight as a child is defined as having a BMI between the 85th and 95th percentiles. Obesity is defined as having a BMI at or above the 95th percentile (“Basics About Childhood Obesity,” 2012). Having a high BMI comes with an increased risk of multiple co-morbidities, both physical and psychosocial (Pulgarón, 2013). Birth weight has been presumed to play a role in the prevalence of obesity in children. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation of birth weight and obesity. A retrospective chart review from patients Harvey Pediatric evaluated weight at birth, two years, four years, and seven years of age to determine if there was a correlation between BMI and birth weight in NWA. 53 chart reviews were completed, and although there were small positive correlations between birth weight and body mass index at ages two and four, there was no statistically significant correlation. Therefore the hypothesis, there is no statistically significant difference between birth weight and BMI measurements in children at the ages of birth, 2, 5, and 7 years, was accepted.
Citation
Frame, M. (2016). The Influence of Birth Weight on Body Mass Index in Young Children in Northwest Arkansas. The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/nursuht/43
Included in
Family Practice Nursing Commons, Maternal, Child Health and Neonatal Nursing Commons, Pediatric Nursing Commons