Perceptions of School Nurses Regarding Obesity in School-Age Children

2005 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Moyers ◽  
Linda Bugle ◽  
Elaine Jackson

Obesity is epidemic in the nation’s school-age population with African American and Hispanic children and adolescents specifically at risk. School nurses at elementary and middle public schools in the Missouri 8th Congressional District were surveyed regarding their perceptions of childhood obesity. School nurses supported preventive interventions and were knowledgeable of the risks of childhood obesity but were less accepting of treatment and counseling for obese children in the school setting. One third of the school nurses did not recommend treatment for weight loss, and half of the nurses provided overweight children with counseling and referral only when parents asked for help. Perceptions of school nurses regarding childhood obesity identified in this study included the following: (a) counseling for obesity is difficult, (b) parental support is lacking, and (c) competence in providing counseling is low. These perceptions are barriers to school nurses taking a more active role in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity.

2021 ◽  
pp. 105984052110190
Author(s):  
Abigail Anderson ◽  
Elizabeth M. Combs ◽  
Sheila Hurst ◽  
Cynthia F. Corbett

The primary goal of this study was to examine young adults’ perspectives about the effects of their food allergies (FAs) on their social lives from school-age to young adulthood. Young adults aged 18–21 ( n = 10) at the University of South Carolina were interviewed. A qualitative descriptive method to find themes and commonalities from transcribed interviews was used for data analysis. Identified themes were (1) feeling different and being isolated, (2) strategies for managing feeling different and being isolated, (3) strategies for managing safety, and (4) acceptance of myself and by others. School-age children attributed the school lunch allergy table as contributing to social isolation. Additionally, participants described feeling different and concerns about safety. Strategies to mitigate those experiences were identified by participants. Implications for children with FAs, their parents, school nurses, and other education and health professionals who work with children are presented.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
May May Leung ◽  
Alen Agaronov ◽  
Kateryna Grytsenko ◽  
Ming-Chin Yeh

Objective. To assess the effectiveness of interventions that focus on reducing sedentary behavior (SB) among school-age youth and to identify elements associated with interventions' potential for translation into practice settings.Methods. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using 4 databases for peer-reviewed studies published between 1980 and April 2011. Randomized trials, which lasted at least 12 weeks, aimed at decreasing SB among children aged 6 to 19 years were identified.Results. Twelve studies were included; 3 focused only on SB, 1 focused on physical activity (PA), 6 were combined SB and PA interventions, and 2 studies targeted SB, PA, and diet. The majority of the studies were conducted in a school setting, while others were conducted in such settings as clinics, community centers, and libraries.Conclusions. Overall, interventions that focused on decreasing SB were associated with reduction in time spent on SB and/or improvements in anthropometric measurements related to childhood obesity. Several of the studies did consider elements related to the intervention's potential for translation into practice settings.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1942602X2110594
Author(s):  
Megan Roesler ◽  
Patricia Fato ◽  
Barbara Obst

School-age children are not immune to COVID-19 or the pronounced and persistent symptoms associated with a long-COVID diagnosis. Students may present with a variety of symptoms affecting their physical, cognitive, and mental health. The school community should be educated on the school-based interventions and recommendations for creating an individualized safe and successful return to school plan. As we await approval for vaccinations in school-age children younger than 12 years and continue to reposition ourselves to the waves of this pandemic and new variants of the virus, understanding the medical and educational long-term effects on our students may be a long-term need.


2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 213-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darlene English ◽  
Marilyn Marcontel

For more than 30 years, nursing students have had the opportunity to have clinical experiences related to their course requirements in the Dallas Public Schools. The Dallas Independent School District School Health Services Department staff provide an orientation to student nurses before their first day in the school clinic. To enhance their learning experience and clarify the regulations and expectations for student nurses, a handbook was prepared for the use of school nurses and the students. The Basic Health Care for the School-age Child: A Handbook for Student Nurses outlines the use of the school as a clinical experience setting. Another purpose for the handbook is to reduce the stress of this clinical rotation for the student nurse and for the staff nurse who serves as the student nurse’s preceptor. This article describes the development of the expectations for the clinical experience and the information included in the handbook. An outline of the material included in each section is presented to provide ideas for school nurses who provide or are considering providing a rotation for student nurses in their schools.


2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justina Serwaah Owusu ◽  
Esi Komeley Colecraft ◽  
Richmond NO Aryeetey ◽  
Joan Anne Vaccaro ◽  
Fatma G. Huffman

This paper compares nutrition intakes and nutritional status of school children from two public schools in neighbouring communities of Ghana with different school feeding programmes. One hundred and eighty-two caregiver and school-age child pairs were interviewed concerning socio-demographics, dietary practices, and food security in a cross-sectional design. The independent t-test was used to compare the contribution of the publicly funded Ghana School Feeding Programme and private School Feeding Programme meals to total daily nutrient intakes of the children. Predictors of nutritional status of the children were assessed using logistic regression models. The private school feeding programme contributed more energy, protein, and micronutrients as compared to the government school feeding programme. About two-thirds (67.0%) of the children were stunted, underweight, or anaemic. Child’s age was a significant predictor of stunting. Undernutrition was prevalent among children from both programmes. Improved quality of diet from the feeding programmes may contribute to addressing malnutrition in these children.


2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorly McClure

Children are caring for invalid relatives in Britain today, often at the expense of their own development. Research indicates these children are vulnerable to a wide range of problems. A preliminary investigation was conducted on the experiences of school nurses in central England to ascertain what they know about school-age caregivers, their awareness of how caring affects their health, and their perception of support available for caregivers. Eighteen school nurses participated in a qualitative investigation, which indicated that given recognition and resources, school nurses could identify school-age caregivers, their health needs, and, in cooperation with other agencies, provide these children with the necessary support.


2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen Murphy ◽  
Barbara Polivka

As childhood obesity has increased, schools have struggled with their role in this epidemic. Parents with a school-age child in a suburban latchkey program were surveyed regarding their perceptions of childhood obesity, body mass index, and the school’s role in prevention and treatment of obesity. More than 80% of participants identified inactivity, poor eating behavior, lack of parental control in what children eat, and eating too much as the main causes of childhood obesity. Parents preferred receiving information about their child’s body mass index from the school via a letter from the school nurse. Participants agreed that physical education classes, as well as units on nutrition and weight control, should be present in schools. Parents also supported eliminating junk food machines and offering special low-calorie meals. By supporting these strategies, parents indicated that schools should have a role in childhood obesity. School nurses can advocate for parental preferences in their school district.


2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 1507-1513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monal R Shroff ◽  
Wei Perng ◽  
Ana Baylin ◽  
Mercedes Mora-Plazas ◽  
Constanza Marin ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveSnacking has been related to increased prevalence of overweight among school-age children in cross-sectional studies. It is uncertain, however, whether snacking influences the development of adiposity over time.DesignWe examined whether adherence to a snacking dietary pattern was associated with greater increases in children's BMI, subscapular:triceps skinfold thickness ratio and waist circumference over a median 2·5-year follow-up. Dietary patterns were identified through principal component analysis of an FFQ administered at recruitment in 2006. Anthropometric follow-up was conducted annually. Linear mixed-effects models were used to estimate rates of change in each indicator according to quartiles of adherence to the snacking pattern. We also examined change in BMI, subscapular:triceps skinfold thickness ratio and waist circumference in relation to intake of the food items in the snacking pattern.SubjectsChildren (n 961) 5–12 years of age.SettingPublic schools in Bogotá, Colombia.ResultsAfter adjustment for age, sex, total energy intake and socio-economic status, children in the highest quartile of adherence to the snacking pattern had a 0·09 kg/m2 per year higher BMI gain than children in the lowest quartile (P trend = 0·05). A similar association was observed for mean change in subscapular:triceps skinfold thickness ratio (highest v. lowest quartile difference = 0·012/year; P = 0·03). Of the food items in the snacking pattern, soda intake was positively and significantly associated with change in BMI (P trend = 0·01) and waist circumference (P trend = 0·04) in multivariable analysis.ConclusionsOur results indicate that snacking and soda intake are associated with development of adiposity in school-age children.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL4) ◽  
pp. 1448-1452
Author(s):  
Deepika V ◽  
Rasiga S ◽  
Priyadarshini K ◽  
Sujatha T

In today's global scenario, there is an increasing incidence of childhood obesity due to the lifestyle changes in personal and eating behaviour which is the primary root cause of various childhood chronic diseases. The main aim of the study was to assess the knowledge of the control of childhood obesity among mothers of school-age children of 6-15years in Maraimalai Nagar. The non-experimental descriptive research design was adopted to assess the level of knowledge on the control of childhood obesity among mothers. One hundred mothers who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were selected by using a non-probability convenient sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was used to assess the demographic variables and awareness regarding childhood obesity among mothers. The study was conducted at Maraimalai Nagar. Reliability of the tool was established by a split-half method. The results  reveal 17.5 % of subjects had inadequate knowledge, 81.4% had moderate knowledge, and only 1 % had adequate knowledge on childhood obesity. The study concludes that the mothers ignore to take preventive measures where their children could be a victim of child obesity. Thus, we affirmed the need for making mothers aware of the control of child obesity and how it can be prevented.


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