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Published on: July 29, 2020
Elementary school personnel's perceptions on childhood obesity: pervasiveness and facilitating factors
Mary Odum1, E Lisako J McKyer, Christine A Tisone
1Texas A&M University, 4243 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA. maryodum@hlkn.tamu.edu
Background:
Researchers in numerous disciplines have investigated the effects of the school environment on childhood obesity (CHO), one of the greatest current health concerns in the United States. There is a gap in current empirical evidence, however, on school personnel's perspectives of this issue. This study examined school personnel's perceptions of obesity as a problem among school-aged children and their views on factors contributing to obesity.
Methods:
Thirty-one semistructured interviews were conducted with elementary school personnel (teachers, administrators, and support staff) from 5 rural schools with a predominantly Hispanic (58.18%) and Black (30.24%) student population. The constant comparison method was used to identify emergent themes.
Results:
All but one participant considered obesity to be a problem among elementary children. Factors facilitating obesity most frequently cited by school personnel were home environment, poor nutrition, child control of dietary choices, child inactivity, and entertainment electronics.
Conclusions:
Child control of dietary choices in both home and school environments was identified as a major contributor to obesity. Further exploration of this control is warranted to understand the complexity of this dynamic and its potential link to CHO.
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