Preschool Child
Ricky Ricky, age 4 years, arrives in the clinic with his mother. Ricky lives with his mother and father, who both work full-time, and his infant sister. Their extended family lives in a different state more than 100 miles away. Both parents are of average height and in good health. Ricky’s mother mentions that Ricky often expresses frustration, particularly in regard to food. Conflict over food occurs every day. Mealtime is a battle to get him to eat, unless his mother feeds him. Ricky’s baby sister seems to tolerate all baby foods but requires her mother to spoon-feed. Ricky’s mother is quite frustrated and concerned that he will become malnourished.
Reflective Questions
1. What additional assessment information would you collect?
2. What questions would you ask, and how would you further explore this issue with the mother?
3. In what ways does the distance of the extended family influence this family’s approach to health promotion?
4. What factors would you consider to determine whether malnourishment is a factor in this family?
Sample Solution
In order to properly assess Ricky’s condition and develop an effective health promotion approach, additional assessment information should be collected. This information should include Ricky’s dietary intake, eating habits, and any known allergies he may have. It would also be helpful to assess his physical activity level in order to determine if he is getting
adequate exercise on a regular basis. Additionally, it would be beneficial to obtain medical history for both parents and siblings, as well as any pertinent family history that could offer insight into the dynamics of the family unit. Lastly, further psychological assessments can provide more detail concerning Ricky’s emotional state including his frustration levels and coping strategies as they relate to mealtime battles.
Questions & Exploration with Mother
When exploring this issue with Ricky’s mother some questions that can help identify underlying factors causing these mealtime battles could include: What type of food does she typically offer? Is there something specific she has noticed triggers these conflicts? How long has this been going on? Does she feel like her son recognizes different flavors or foods that are offered? Has she attempted any strategies already in order to help reduce tension during meals? Exploring these questions will allow healthcare providers better understanding of the situation so they can then suggest appropriate interventions tailored towards helping improve mealtime interactions between mother and child.
Impact of Extended Family Distance
The distance of the extended family significantly influences their approaches toward health promotion because it restricts available support systems for both parents who work full time jobs providing care for two children under four years old. The lack of supportive connections limits resources such as childcare assistance or other forms of aid which makes addressing issues like nutrition more difficult due to limited time available from day-to-day demands related to parenting responsibilities. This decreased capacity can lead not only to inadequate nourishment but overall stressors within the household since access support networks are limited making promoting healthy lifestyles more complicated than usual circumstances might present themselves if closer relatives resided nearby..
Malnourishment Considerations
To determine whether malnourishment is a factor in this family there are several considerations one must take into account prior establishing diagnoses such as height/weight measurements (weight for age percentile), laboratory tests such as hemoglobin levels or complete blood counts (CBC) which may provide evidence anemia, nutrient deficiencies like Vitamin D or iron deficiencies etc., fluid intake assessment/tracking changes over periods time based upon observations made by either parent(s) regarding consumption rates/patterns versus established expected amounts etc., developmental milestones achieved on schedule indicate proper growth rates even if smaller than average size wise etc.. With all these variables considered healthcare providers can determine whether malnutrition is likely a contributing factor along with offering necessary treatments prevent further deprivation conditions worsening over time which will ultimately lead improved quality life many aspects especially those related nutrition/eating habits allowing individual reach fuller potential alongside loved ones throughout adulthood