Childhood obesity: a reflection about familiar dynamics through an ethnographic point of view

Abstract

This is a reflexive study which aims to focus on Ethnographic contribution towards care concerning infantile obesity in an inadequate familiar dynamics. The present study approaches the ascension of obesity in Brazil, particularly in the infantile population and it tries to understand how such illness can be related to familiar characteristics such as: sedentarism, hyperfagia, early weaning and cultural standards which may be harmful to health. The reflection stands out that, in such perception the nurse can make use of Ethnography, in order to understand the symbolism represented by the food in the family and its repercussions in the eating habits of the child. It is concluded that Ethonography sharpens the perception of the nurse, which may, possibly facilitate the implantation of health education in these families where infantile adiposity appears, due to propitious conjecture for its genesis. Thus, Nursing contributes to an improvement of the quality of life of the obese and for the reduction of the morbi-mortality of diseases associated with obesity.