12.10.08
Childhood Obesity: Discussion with Amy Boitnott
In today’s show, based on a recent article by Jane Ford, Senior News officer for the Office of Public Affairs, we introduce and speak with UVa Graduate, and the Commonwealth’s first ever Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree recipient, Amy Drake Boitnott.
On November 14, 2008, the UVa Nursing School granted the Commonwealth’s first ever Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree to Amy Drake Boitnott. John Kirchgessner, assistant professor of nursing and chairman of Boitnott’s review committee said, the DNP differs from a Ph.D. mainly in the focus of the research. A Ph.D.’s primary interest is in pure research. A DNP is a clinical scholar who uses evidence-based research to develop interventions that may improve clinical practice.
Boitnott, an instructor at the School of Nursing since 2004, and a practicing nurse since 1991, recently sat down to discuss her main clinical focus, childhood obesity.
Nursing School Grants First Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree in VA [6:15m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadAsked about the focus of her work, Boitnott said, “As part of taking care of children, our patient is not just the child, our patient is the family. And I began to recognize and the see the interactions between parent and child, and responses that the children have to their disease process, based on their parents responses. So, it’s all intertwined, and that was very interesting to me, that my patient was not just this one person and one body, it was this entire dynamic of a family.”
Boitnott said her work was unique, “We’re doing something very different… than is currently being done… in this study …and in my intervention. We’re directly targeting the parent exclusively from their child.”
Concerning childhood obesity and some of the contributing factors, Boitnott said, “childhood obesity has increased by over 30 percent in the past 30 years. So there is a huge issue now. It’s considered a(n) epidemic now in our country and globally.”
“And there are so many factors which are thought to contribute to the increased incidence, anywhere from the comfort foods. Foods are now more easily accessible, they’re pre-packaged… they’re fast foods… fast foods are cheaper. So parents and families who are on the go, more than they are 30 years ago, can quickly go through those kinds of things. So that is one thing… Food availability.”
“Another thing is our children are having more sedentary time than they use to, and because of technology and all of these wonderful things that the internet and the TV provides our children. It is sedentary activity none the less, so that is another issue.”
“Urban Sprawl has a factor in it. Kids use to walk to friend’s houses and walk to school, and walk to the store. It doesn’t happen as much as it used to because our communities are farther from those places.”
Boitnott said, “It’s very devastating to see the children and the families that we see in the clinic. They’ve been afflicted with this horrible thing of Obesity. And, I (just) think that what we can do in the clinic… that hopefully this intervention will go into the primary care arena. I am a primary care nurse practitioner, I see people where they come for that sore throat, and for those kinds of things. And if we can then add in education and knowledge about obesity patterns and trends and what we can do to avoid them, in every interaction we have with patients, I think that it is so very important to make this preventative.”
But added, “There’s not one simple answer, that’s the thing… There’s so many answers and so many things, and it’s going to a problem in our country for some time.”
When asked about the major behaviors that people could adopt to help fight this trend in their own lives Boitnott said, “I think that one major thing is the sedentary lifestyles… Just moving, and moving our bodies, and finding ways to move them with our family members…”
“And the other major thing is making wise decisions at the grocery store in what you’re going to bring into your home. Because a lot of my patients will say, “I got that bag of chips and he just wants a couple of them.” Well it’s really hard for a child when they see something they really want… so the parent controlling the nutrition habits and what is brought into the home… controlling that environment, because children still need help with making those decisions.”
For those families who would like more information, Boitnott referenced America on the Move.org for information on nutrition and activities for the family. For families to participate in the clinic, their child must be in the 85th percentile to be considered for the 6 month intervention. If they are, she directs them to call the Children’s Fitness Clinic at the Kluge Rehabilitation Center for more information. Their phone number is 434-982-1627.
You’ve been listening to the Oscar Show, I’m Jacob Canon. Join us next week when we will look at former dean of UVa’s College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, Melvyn P. Leffler, who recently was named to receive the American Historical Association’s 2008 George Louis Beer Prize for his book “For the Soul of Mankind: The United States, the Soviet Union, and the Cold War.”