Date of this Version

12-13-2021

Document Type

DNP Project

Abstract

Food consumption analysis in the outpatient setting has not significantly contributed to the reduction of obesity in the pediatric population. Research on dietary measurement tools outside of anthropometric measures is also lacking in the pediatric setting which is why the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) is the focus of this quality improvement (QI) project. The HEI QI project was performed at East Pompano Pediatrics outpatient clinic in Pompano Beach Florida. Outpatient providers and their care assistants at East Pompano Pediatrics in Pompano FL, were the target population (N=9), 100% of the sample were women, (n=3) were Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs), and (n=6) were care assistants. The purpose of this study is to identify the dietary properties that affect nutrition among children who are in the BMI percentile of 95 or greater.

Method: A survey study method collected qualitative and quantitative data points to address providers’ ability to screen for nutritional factors outside of anthropometric measures. Providers were given a demonstration after a 30-minute educational presentation on the HEI adequacy and moderation measuring tool. Results: 100% of the participants agreed that the HEI should be used as an adjunct screening tool, 66.7% found that it was more effective than anthropometric measures, 77.8% gave the HEI tool a 5 rating (1-5 scale), and 100% of the participants would you use the HEI to council dyads on weight and diet history. Conclusion: The study was able to reveal provider acceptance of the HEI as a quality tool that can be used to address dietary concerns, create positive perceptions of the provider when addressing dietary concerns, and increase nutritional screening effectiveness and proficiency.

Keywords: Nutritional guidelines, Healthy Eating Index (HEI), Diet assessment, Obesity risk, Nutritional measurement, Provider-based obesity assessment, and Pediatric screening tools.

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