School-based body mass index (BMI) screenings seek can improve parents' recall about their child's weight, increase concern about excess weight, and correct parents' misperceptions to help them make informed decisions about their child's health. However, schools have questioned parents' understanding of and attitudes about BMI, and have expressed concern about parents' reactions to BMI reports. Using a sample of school nurses (n=7) and parents/guardians (n=125) from the School District of Philadelphia (SDP), this research addressed these concerns by clarifying: 1) parents'/guardians' perceptions and knowledge about BMI; 2) the challenges schools face in communicating with parents/guardians; and 3) the messages that can be communicated to parents/guardians to help them understand their child's BMI-for-age category and why their child's BMI is measured in his/her school. The research used framing theory and perceptual mapping methods to study and improve communication about BMI to parents/guardians in the School District. The four-phase study design incorporated qualitative (focus groups and semi-structured in-depth interviews) and quantitative (cross-sectional survey) methods to assist in the development of an evidence-informed BMI report card template for the SDP. Messages were constructed to meet the needs of four distinct groups of parents/guardians that emerged from the factor and cluster analyses - "Passive Parents," "Neutral Parents," "Confident Advocates" and "Active Worriers." Although each cluster of parents/guardians had their own unique perceptions and varying degrees of assuredness and confidence related to BMI concepts, the majority of parents/guardians in this study shared common favorable perceptions about BMI measures, school-based screening programs and BMI report cards. / Public Health
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TEMPLE/oai:scholarshare.temple.edu:20.500.12613/2279 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | Ruggieri, Dominique Grace |
| Contributors | Bass, Sarah Bauerle, Gordon, Thomas F., Segal, Jay S., Napolitano, Melissa A. |
| Publisher | Temple University. Libraries |
| Source Sets | Temple University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation, Text |
| Format | 233 pages |
| Rights | IN COPYRIGHT- This Rights Statement can be used for an Item that is in copyright. Using this statement implies that the organization making this Item available has determined that the Item is in copyright and either is the rights-holder, has obtained permission from the rights-holder(s) to make their Work(s) available, or makes the Item available under an exception or limitation to copyright (including Fair Use) that entitles it to make the Item available., http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
| Relation | http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/2261, Theses and Dissertations |
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