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Childhood obesity prevention; a school-focused intervention and the effect on school age children.

Sfiligoj, Rita Marie
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5290-3517
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=casednp1430133132

Abstract Details

2015, Doctor of Nursing Practice , Case Western Reserve University, School of Nursing.
Worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980 (WHO, 2013). Childhood obesity is at an all time high, an intensifying public health problem affecting as many as 43 million children (Pulgaron, 2013). Current trends and projections estimate that by 2020, over forty five percent of the children and adolescents in America will be overweight (Savino, Pelliccia, Chiarelli, & Mohn, 2009). Prevention, preferable to treatment of a problem, could be a key strategy to controlling the childhood obesity epidemic. Schools are a setting that reaches most of the youth population and could serve as a valuable contributor to the prevention of childhood obesity. This study is a formative outcome evaluation of a nutritional school-focused intervention. A comparative descriptive design was used to evaluate the knowledge, behavior, and self-efficacy related to healthy nutritional eating as a result of the educational school-focused intervention. The sample was a convenience sample of 57 eighth-grade students. The findings suggested that there was not a statistically significant difference between the knowledge, behavior, or self-efficacy scores. Knowledge scores of the control group (M = 4.27, SD = 1.13) were greater than the intervention group (M = 3.88, SD = 1.48). Likewise behavioral scores of the control group (M = 4.10, SD = 1.76) were larger than the intervention group (M = 3.88, SD = 1.51). Although there was not a statistically significant difference for self-efficacy, the intervention group (M = 39.08, SD = 11.98) outscored the control group (M = 38.45, SD = 10.62). As a formative outcome evaluation of a pilot study the sample size was limited. A statistical power analysis for a medium effect size indicated that this sample was underpowered. Results of this study indicate that despite the non-statistical evidence of a difference in the outcome there are encouraging findings. The primary concept of the social cognitive theory is self-efficacy. This human motivator is the belief that an individual has the motivation to adopt new lifestyles (Bandura, 2004). Three years after the school-focused intervention, the intervention group outscored the control group. Higher levels of self-efficacy and expectations of positive outcomes lead to the adjustments needed to maintain behavior change (Anderson, Winnett, & Wojcik, 2011).
Carol Savrin, Dr, (Committee Chair)
91 p.
Public Health
Childhood obesity, overweight, prevention, school-focused intervention, self-efficacy, social cognitive theory

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Sfiligoj, R. M. (2015). Childhood obesity prevention; a school-focused intervention and the effect on school age children. [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=casednp1430133132

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Sfiligoj, Rita. Childhood obesity prevention; a school-focused intervention and the effect on school age children. 2015. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=casednp1430133132.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Sfiligoj, Rita. "Childhood obesity prevention; a school-focused intervention and the effect on school age children." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=casednp1430133132

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

casednp1430133132
211
© 2015, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University Doctor of Nursing Practice and OhioLINK.