BMI Health Report Cards: Parents’ Perceptions and Reactions

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 896-904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marla Jones ◽  
Cassie Huffer ◽  
Tom Adams ◽  
Logan Jones ◽  
Bryan Church
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Report Cards ◽  
Physical Educators ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Obesity Epidemic ◽  
Screening Programs ◽  
School Based ◽  
Health Report ◽  
Diet And Exercise

In 2003, Arkansas became the first state to require body mass index (BMI) testing in public schools to raise awareness of the growing obesity epidemic among children and adolescents. Limited information exists regarding the effectiveness of school-based BMI screening programs. The purpose of this study was to determine if BMI health report cards affected parents’ knowledge or actions regarding their child’s health and to determine the accuracy of parents’ perceptions of their child as underweight, normal weight, or overweight according to their child’s BMI. A questionnaire was developed with the help of physical educators, pediatricians, and exercise scientists to determine parents’ perceptions and behaviors regarding BMI report cards. The questionnaire was distributed to parents/guardians of children who sought medical care at two pediatrician’s offices in Arkansas. Based on responses to survey questions, parents are not making changes to their child’s diet and exercise habits if their child is classified as “at risk” or “overweight.” However, parents did report that BMI health report cards are influencing their knowledge about their child’s health. The majority of parents in the study (approximately 66%) did not accurately perceive their child’s BMI category.

scholarly journals Adolescent Self-Efficacy for Diet and Exercise Following a School-Based Multicomponent Lifestyle Intervention

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
Vasiliki Efthymiou ◽  
Evangelia Charmandari ◽  
Dimitrios Vlachakis ◽  
Artemis Tsitsika ◽  
Artur Pałasz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lifestyle Intervention ◽  
Abdominal Obesity ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Anthropometric Measurements ◽  
The Self ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
School Based ◽  
Diet And Exercise

Self-efficacy is perhaps the most important parameter associated with behavioral changes. The main aim of this study was to provide insight into the diet and exercise self-efficacy of Greek adolescents and how they could be modified via a multilevel multicomponent school-based lifestyle intervention. Secondary aims were to study the associations of students’ dietary and exercise self-efficacy indices with their anthropometric and sociodemographic parameters. A representative sample of the adolescent population in Attica, consisting of 1610 adolescents aged 12–17 years, recruited from 23 public high schools in three municipalities of the Attica area in Greece, received a three-component lifestyle educational intervention for health promotion and underwent screening for characteristics of metabolic syndrome with the use of portable telemedicine. All assessments and anthropometric measurements were performed at baseline and after the 6-month intervention. Anthropometric measurements included body mass index, waist circumference (WC), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Assessment tools included the Self-efficacy for Diet and the Self-efficacy for Exercise questionnaires, as well as the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index in Children and Adolescents (KIDMED). Analysis included 1020 adolescent students (421 males and 599 females), who completed the self-efficacy questionnaires pre- and post-intervention. Overall, the dietary (p < 0.001) and exercise (p < 0.001) self-efficacy increased significantly post-intervention. Post-intervention, all adolescents decreased their abdominal obesity indices (WC, WHtR, WHR), and this improvement was even more pronounced and significant (p = 0.019, p = 0.019, p = 0.023 respectively) in the adolescents with overweight/obesity. Post-intervention, the proportion of adolescents with normal weight increased from 73.9% to 78.6%, whereas the proportion of adolescents with overweight and obesity decreased from 20.4% to 15.9% and from 5.7% to 5.5%, respectively. Abdominal obesity also decreased from 10.4% to 9.0%. Female adolescents achieved significantly (p = 0.010) higher changes in diet self-efficacy than males. Other sociodemographic characteristics such as family structure, parental age, parental educational level and family income showed non-significant differences. Adolescents with higher KIDMED scores manifested significantly higher dietary and exercise self-efficacy than those with lower KIDMED scores. Both adolescents with normal weight and overweight/obesity manifested a reciprocal relation between diet and exercise self-efficacy. Multicomponent lifestyle interventions in the school environment may provide a first step in students’ behavior changes and provide grounds for future prevention programs in youth.

Understanding Parents’ Perceptions of School-Based BMI Screening and BMI Report Cards Using Perceptual Mapping: Implications for School Nurses

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique G. Ruggieri ◽  
Sarah Bauerle Bass ◽  
Mohammed Alhajji ◽  
Thomas F. Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
School Nurses ◽  
Report Card ◽  
Report Cards ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Screening Programs ◽  
Perceptual Mapping ◽  
School Based ◽  
Parent Response ◽  
Vector Modeling

Half of U.S. states measure students’ body mass index (BMI), with many communicating that information to parents through a “BMI report card” or notification letter. School nurses are usually responsible for implementing these programs and communicating results to parents. The purpose of this study was to understand parents’ perceptions of BMI screening programs to help inform school nurses about messages that are most helpful to use in report cards to motivate parents to follow-up with a health-care provider or to make behavioral changes for their child. Using a cluster analysis and perceptual mapping methods, a commercial marketing technique that creates three-dimensional graphic maps, we identified four unique clusters of parents based on their core attitudes and beliefs related to BMI screenings and report cards. Based on vector modeling techniques, key message strategies were developed that can be used by school nurses to enhance parent response to a BMI report card.

scholarly journals Eye-glasses wear compliance following school-based visual acuity screening in Nepal: a comparative study

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-98
Author(s):  
Hari Bahadur Thapa ◽  
Salma KC Rai ◽  
Saraswati Khadka Thapa ◽  
Anadi Khatri ◽  
Ken Bassett
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Screening Program ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Educational Status ◽  
Screening Programs ◽  
School Based ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Private And Public

Introduction: Eye-glasses wear compliance is found to be low among children in school-based eye screening programs who are provided spectacles free of charge. Methods: Thirty-six schools from school visual acuity screening program in Nepal were randomly selected to receive no follow-up (standard) or follow-up by an optometry team at 3 months. In the intervention group (that received the follow-up), ophthalmic personal made unannounced visits to the schools at 3 months to determine spectacle compliance .Direct examination to determine compliance with spectacle wear 6 months was done. The primary reason for noncompliance from a list of possibilities was identified using a questionnaire. Results: Among 297 (145 control and 152 intervention) students that received glasses in the 36 schools, 128/152 (84%) were available for examination at 3 months in the intervention group. A total of 216/297 (73%) students were available for examination at 6 months (73 % and 72% of the control and intervention groups, respectively). Within the intervention group, 51% of children at 3 months and 57% at 6 months were wearing glasses during the unannounced visits. The main source of refractive error was myopia. Out of 66 children with astigmatism, 24 (36%) were wearing glasses. There was no statistically significant difference in compliance (p=0.85) between private and public schools, but compliance correlated better with the educational status of careers. Conclusion: A follow-up visit to the school by eye care personnel did not improve spectacle wear compliance among children .Other factors may also be responsible for poor compliance.

scholarly journals Trend of the risk and protective factors of chronic diseases in adolescents, National Adolescent School-based Health Survey (PeNSE 2009 e 2012)

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 77-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Carvalho Malta ◽  
Marco Antonio Ratzsch de Andreazzi ◽  
Maryane Oliveira-Campos ◽  
Silvania Suely Caribé de Araújo Andrade ◽  
Naíza Nayla Bandeira de Sá ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Body Image ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Health Survey ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
School Based ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Alcohol And Other Drugs

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of major risk and protection factors for chronic non-communicable diseases in school-aged children in Brazilian capitals surveyed in the National Adolescent School-based Health Survey in its two editions, 2009 and 2012. METHODS: The frequencies, with Confidence Interval of 95%, of the following demographic variables were compared: food intake, body image, physical activity, smoking, alcohol and other drugs. Prevalence was compared in the two editions of the survey. RESULTS: The proportion of students who attend two physical education classes a week was maintained at 49% between 2009 and 2012, increasing in public schools from 50.6% (95%CI 49.8 - 51.4) to 52.5% (95%CI 49.2 - 55.7), and decreasing in private schools. There was no change in the proportion of students who watch two hours or more of television daily, about 80%. As for body image, there was no change between the two editions, and about 60% considered themselves being of normal weight. There was a reduction in the percentage of adolescents who experienced cigarettes, from 24.2% (95%CI 23.6 - 24.8) to 22.3% (95%CI 21.4 - 23.2), and the prevalence of smoking was maintained at about 6% (there was no statistical difference between 2009 and 2012). The consumption of beans, fruits, sweets and soft drinks also decreased. Frequency of drug experimentation was of 8.7% (95%CI 8.3 - 9.1) in 2009, and 9.6% (95%CI 9.0 - 10.3) in 2012, with no difference between confidence intervals, and the frequency of alcohol experimentation was maintained at about 70%; the percentage of use in the past 30 days was also maintained at around 27%. CONCLUSION: In the Brazilian capitals, the vast majority of prevalence of risk factors were kept stable in the two editions of the National Survey of School. These data generate evidence to guide the implementation of public policies to minimize the exposure of adolescents to risk factors.

Preservice Efforts To Promote School-Based SLPs' Roles in Written Language Development

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 121-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Lanter ◽  
Claire Waldron
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Clinical Education ◽  
Written Language ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Clinical Experiences ◽  
School Based ◽  
Language Pathology ◽  
Written Language Development

Abstract The authors describe an innovative clinical education program that emphasizes the provision of written language services by preservice speech-language pathology graduate students at Radford University in Virginia. Clinicians combined academic coursework in language acquisition in school-age children and clinical experiences that target children's written language development to promote future literacy-based leadership roles and collaborative efforts among school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs). These literacy-based experiences prepare SLPs to serve in the growing numbers of American public schools that are implementing Response to Intervention models.

scholarly journals Epidemiological Findings of Refractive Errors and Amblyopia among the Schoolchildren in Hatta Region of the United Arab Emirates

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Salam Chettian Kandi ◽  
Hayat Ahmad Khan
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Visual Field ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Refractive Error ◽  
Screening Program ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Refractive Errors ◽  
Vision Screening ◽  
Screening Programs ◽  
School Based

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Uncorrected refractive errors and amblyopia pose a major problem affecting schoolchildren. We had previously observed that many schoolchildren in the Hatta region presented to the ophthalmology clinic with uncorrected refractive errors and amblyopia, which led us to undertake this research. As per the WHO, the term “visual impairment” can be “low vision” or “blindness.” Based on the presenting vision, “low vision” is defined for children who have vision of &#x3c;6/18 to 3/60 or having visual field loss to &#x3c;20° in the better-seeing eye. Children defined to have “blindness” have presenting vision of &#x3c;3/60 or corresponding visual field of &#x3c;10°. <b><i>Purpose:</i></b> To estimate the magnitude of uncorrected refractive errors and amblyopia among the schoolchildren aged 6–19 years and to assess the efficacy of school-based refractive error screening programs in the Hatta region of the United Arab Emirates. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> An epidemiological, cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted on the entire student population studying in the government schools of the region. Those who failed the Snellen visual acuity chart test and those who were wearing spectacles were evaluated comprehensively by the researcher in the Department of Ophthalmology of the Hatta Hospital. Data were entered in the Refractive Error Study in School Children (RESC) eye examination form recommended by the WHO, and were later transferred to Excel sheets and analyzed by SPSS. <b><i>Results:</i></b> 1,591 students were screened and evaluated from the end of 2016 to mid-2017. About 21.37% (<i>n</i> = 340) had impaired vision with 20.9% (<i>n</i> = 333) refractive errors, of which 58% were uncorrected. Among the refractive error group, 19% (64 subjects) had amblyopia (4% of total students). The incidence of low vision was 9.5% and blindness was 0.38%. Low vision was found to be 9.5% and blindness 0.38%, taking in to account presenting visual acuity rather than best-corrected visual acuity for defining low vision and blindness. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> A significant number of students were detected to have uncorrected refractive errors among the vision impaired group (59%, <i>n</i> = 197) despite a school-based vision screening program in place. Seventy-eight percent of the amblyopia cases (<i>n</i> = 50) were found to be in the 11–19 years age group. Noncompliance with optical corrections was the reason for the high number of cases. A rigorous vision screening program and refractive services, complimented with awareness among parents and teachers, are recommended.

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