Exploring future nurses' attitudes and beliefs related to childhood overweight

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatric Nursing
• Health Psychology

Background:

• Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern, threatening gains made through disease prevention interventions.
• Nurses are vital in addressing the childhood obesity epidemic due to their direct patient interaction and educational roles.
• Understanding healthcare providers' perceptions is essential for developing effective strategies to combat childhood obesity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine attitudes and beliefs of undergraduate prenursing and clinical nursing students regarding overweight/obese children.
• To identify differences and similarities in these attitudes between prenursing and clinical nursing major students.
• To inform nursing education and practice concerning childhood obesity interventions.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study design.
• Involved undergraduate prenursing students and students in a clinical nursing major.
• Assessed attitudes and beliefs about overweight and obese children, including perceived causes and quality of life impacts.

Main Results:

• Both prenursing and clinical nursing students demonstrated negative perceptions of overweight children.
• Significant variations were observed between the two student groups regarding causative factors and quality of life perceptions.
• These negative perspectives highlight potential biases influencing future nursing care for overweight children.

Conclusions:

• Undergraduate prenursing and clinical nursing students hold negative attitudes towards overweight children.
• Differences in perceptions between prenursing and clinical nursing students suggest a need for targeted educational interventions.
• Addressing these negative beliefs is critical for nurses to effectively manage the childhood obesity epidemic and promote child well-being.