CLARKSVILLE, TN – Childhood obesity has tripled in the United States since the 1970s, with nearly one in five children now classified as obese. What were once considered adult problems, conditions such-as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and sleep apnea, have become a reality for younger and younger patients.
In a new article published in the Journal of Pediatric Surgical Nursing, three Austin Peay State University nursing faculty examine how childhood obesity affects not just long-term health outcomes, but the immediate challenges of caring for children in surgical and hospital settings.
Their work underscores how obesity changes everything from medication dosing to anesthesia safety…