Dear Professor Yesenosky and class,

Some additional information that I would need to gather would be Maria’s eating habits and activity levels. I would need to know how often she eats, her servings and what types of food she consumes. Is she eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains? How often does she exercise? What medications she is currently prescribed, including all over the counter medications? I would also like to know her past and current medical history, along with her family history. Is there a history of diabetes, obesity, or cardiac issues?

Maria’s real health risk would be obesity, of course we would need to obtain an accurate weight first. Her potential risks would include diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

Maria’s culture is important when obtaining a health assessment because her Hispanic culture could influence her dietary habits and medications. Her culture could also increase her risk of developing other health concerns such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer (Tung, 2015).

The health risk of obesity can be managed by providing nutrition education and initiating a physical activity schedule. Maria could start by watching her calorie intake, eating healthy foods and consuming food in moderation. She can do this by documenting in a food diary and recording her weight. Maria could also begin exercising daily or at least every other day until she can free up some of her time. She could set a short-term goal of losing 5 pounds in a 3-month time frame.

A nursing intervention that I would incorporate into Maria’s plan of care to assist her with meeting a 5-pound weight loss would be exercising daily or every other day for 20-30 minutes, she could do this at the college gym, in between classes. She could also begin documenting in a food diary, and limit sweets and foods high in sugar. The food diary will assist her in determining foods that are high in calories and fat, and how she can eliminate them.

Thank you, Kelly

References

Tung, W., & McDonough, J. (2015). Overweight and obesity among Hispanic/Latino American women. Health Care Diversity, 27(3) 162-165. Doi 10.11771084822314563075

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