Prevention of Obesity in School

Prevention of Obesity in School Children

Of the four studies considered in this investigation, three of them were qualitative (one of which was a quasi-experimental qualitative study) while the other was quantitative. The former studies are particularly insightful for their ability to disclose the attitudes, conceptions, and individual and collective thought processes regarding perceptions of weight and obesity, and were conducted through the use of purposeful sampling, maximum variation sampling, and convenience sampling for randomization effects. It should be noted that the most useful and significant collection of data was taken by the means of audio recording which was later transcribed in the fourth paper, and that the reliability of the other qualitative studies are apocryphal at best due to inconsistencies in the methods by which their information was gathered. Fortunately, the results of the lone quantitative study employed in this paper proved to be less dubious, although they still lend themselves to a degree of skepticism since they were collected by the use of standardized questionnaires which were not examined for validity or reliability. Other variables in research methods also marred the efficaciousness of this longitudinal study which undertook to examine the role of school nursing as a corrective measure to obesity.

Despite the various levels of credibility of these studies, they have shed significant insight on some of the factors responsible for the amelioration of the issue of corpulence within school aged children. Of particular note is the value placed on the cognitive regard of obesity which colours the perceptions of both parents and children alike in regards to issues and factors which contribute to being overweight. Habits of eating and various practices of healthy behaviour were determined to be based on a psychological component which ultimately controls the physical aspect of obesity. Of equal importance is the impact which culture and its varying perceptions among different racial/ethnic make-ups play in regards to both the problems and potential solutions regarding corpulence.

One of the fundamental methods of combating obesity, as learned through the aforementioned studies, is to present an awareness of the habits, behaviours, and symptoms of its presence as early as possible, within the context of a comprehensive program which provides prudent action for the alleviation of such symptoms. Schools need to take specific actions to educate students as to the pitfalls and poor nutrition and the benefits of salutary eating habits, and reinforce such measures with copious exercise and other active means of reducing incidence of obesity that is conducive to a lower body mass index. Additionally, a key supplement to the measures undertaken in the school environment is the support and awareness of such anti-corpulent behaviour undertaken by parents of school aged children, within the home environment. By providing effective eating habits at home and fortifying them with a degree of education of such advantageous dietary measures at school, children face the best chances of reducing their risk of obesity, and losing excess weight if they already are so.