Key Informant Interview with Kristin Parnell, RN

We chose one of our key informants to be Kristin Parnell, a registered nurse at Cabarrus
Pediatric Clinic in concord. We asked her several questions about the main health concerns or
problems of adolescents in the area. She identified the main health concerns to be childhood
obesity, asthma, type II diabetes, eating disorders, autism, teen pregnancy and sexually
transmitted infections. The top two problems are childhood obesity and asthma. Mrs. Parnell
said from what she saw at her practice, she would estimate that 6 out of every 10 adolescents are
overweight or obese. Kristin stated that both problems seem to be on the rise from what she has
seen at the doctor’s office she works at.

I asked Kristin how the parents and children respond when told they are overweight or
obese. She replied that they are both open and most of the time already know that they are
overweight, however that does not mean they change their diet or exercise practices.
Interventions by the staff include education about eating healthy and instruction about the food
guide pyramid, formulating exercise plans and encouraging the kids to lose weight and stick with
the program. Only about half of the adolescents seem to comply and change their diet and
exercise habits.

In contrast, when the parents and children are told they have asthma, they are very
compliant with their medication regime. Some of the medications prescribed at the hospital
include an Albuterol inhaler and an Atrovent nebulizer. Some of the children are also on
Singulair which is a once daily medication for asthma.

I asked Kristin what the doctors and nurses felt important to talk with the adolescents
about when they came in for a visit. She said they talked with them about getting vaccines such
as Menactra, T-DAP, Gardisil, the seasonal flu vaccine and the H1N1 vaccine. They also talk
with each kid about their diet habits, eating healthy and exercising every day. If the adolescent is
over 16, the doctor asks the parents to step out of the room so the child will feel more
comfortable about discussing if they are engaging in sexual activity. They always ask if
adolescent if they have any questions for them and try to making them feel comfortable. They
also usually ask what the kids like to do for fun. Sports and video games are the top two
responses.