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Developing school-based BMI screening and parent notification programs: findings from focus groups with parents of
Martha Young Kubik1, Mary Story, Gayle Rieland
1University of Minnesota, School of Nursing, Minneapolis, USA. kubik002@umn.edu
Summary
Parents generally support school-based body mass index (BMI) screenings for children. They emphasize privacy, neutral results without weight labeling, and community-wide data to improve school nutrition and physical activity.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatric Health
- Health Education
Background:
- School-based body mass index (BMI) screening is a proposed strategy for childhood obesity prevention.
- Effective program development and implementation require understanding stakeholder perspectives, particularly parents.
- Limited research exists on parental views regarding school BMI screening and notification processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore parental opinions and beliefs about school-based BMI screening programs.
- To understand parental preferences for notification methods and message content.
- To identify parental needs for health information to promote healthy weight in school-aged children.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study utilizing ten focus groups.
- Involved 71 parents of elementary school students.
- Explored views on screening, notification, and health information.
Main Results:
- Parents generally supported school-based BMI screening.
- Parents desired assurance of student privacy and respectful measurement.
- Parents preferred neutral BMI result communication, avoiding weight labeling.
- Parents advocated for disseminating aggregate results to the school community.
Conclusions:
- School-based BMI screening can be accepted by parents when privacy and respectful communication are prioritized.
- Parental input is crucial for designing effective and acceptable obesity prevention programs in schools.
- Aggregate data sharing can foster school-wide environmental changes for healthy weight promotion.
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