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School Nurses' Perceptions of Childhood Obesity
Author(s) -
Price James H.,
Desmond Sharon M.,
Ruppert Elizabeth S.,
Stelzer Cathleen M.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/j.1746-1561.1987.tb03214.x
Subject(s) - obesity , weight loss , childhood obesity , medicine , curriculum , perception , health education , body weight , family medicine , psychology , nursing , public health , overweight , pedagogy , neuroscience
A random sample of250 nurses from the American School Health Association membership were sent a questionnaire concerning childhood obesity; 88% responded. Most (85%) believed normal weight was important to children's health and that school nurses should be role models by maintaining normal weight (77%). Most also believed counseling children and their parents about weight loss was difficult (71%) and that schools need to do more to alleviate childhood obesity (65%). At least 75% believed all schools should offer a comprehensive health curriculum with units on nutrition and weight control. Likewise, all schools should eliminate “junk food” machines and make special low‐calorie lunches available. Only 25% felt competent to prescribe weight loss programs for children, and only 30% found counseling about weight loss professionally gratifying. One‐fourth believed, that with proper guidance, children could lose significant amounts of weight or maintain that weight loss. The nurses believed in the importance of normal weight, but appeared skeptical of children's abilities to lose weight as well as their own abilities to provide children with guidance to do so. Finally, they perceived a need for schools to be more active and involved in dealing with childhood obesity.