Starting the Conversation: A Health Information Technology Tool to Address Pediatric Obesity

• Health information technology is an expanding area of resources for nurses to incorporate into practice to improve patient care and health outcomes.
• Pediatric obesity is a public health issue in the United States; incorporating technology-based tools is 1 contemporary approach nurse practitioners and nurses can use to address this significant health issue.
• HeartSmartKids is a Web-based health information technology tool that can be used in a variety of health care settings specifically designed to start the conversation about weight, weight-related behaviors, and cardiovascular risk factors in children.
• The current article discusses an adaptation of HeartSmartKids , its use within a nontraditional setting (HeadStart), and incorporating measures of parental perception of child weight status to aid the clinician in starting the conversation about preschooler’s weight status. Incorporating measures of how parents perceive their child’s weight status can facilitate additional conversation between nurses and parents to specifically target inaccurate parental perceptions.

Pediatric obesity continues to be a significant public health issue, and nurse practitioners are poised to intervene with innovative methods to address the issue. Health information technology offers nurses with contemporary methods to address pediatric obesity within varied settings and with varied populations. This article discusses an innovative health information technology–based approach by which to provide tailored education to families and children regarding pediatric obesity and related health behaviors. An additional adaptation of the health information technology tool is also given and discussed.