Exploring the knowledge of student nurses about children who are overweight/obese

Abstract

Objective: The prevalence of childhood overweight/obesity has increased in many countries worldwide. Children who are overweight/obese are at a higher risk of negative health outcomes. It is important to educate nursing students in their undergraduate studies to understand weight issues and therefore to help children manage overweight/obesity during childhood. The aim of this study was to compare the knowledge of childhood overweight/obesity between two cohorts (2-year program and 4-year program) of undergraduate nursing students at a University in South Taiwan.
Methods: Quantitative data were collected with a translated self administered questionnaire. Survey results were analysed using descriptive statistics, including frequency counts and percentages. A T-test was used to compare the responses between the two groups of students.
Results: The findings of the survey demonstrated that nursing students in Taiwan have a good general knowledge about this issue. However, the results showed that the majority of students lacked knowledge about the measurement of children’s BMI. Further, only a small percentage of students could recognize health risks that could be caused by childhood overweight/obesity.
Conclusions: As the rates of childhood overweight/obesity continues to rise, it is essential that students receive the appropriate training to enable them to provide all their paediatric patients and their families with guidance and support about this health issue.