Weight, exercise, and health: children's perceptions
Childhood overweight is increasing, yet limited information is available on children's perspectives of overweight. The purpose of this investigation was to identify children's perspective of their weight, exercise, and health status. Participants were 17 children, 8 to 12 years of age, with body mass indexes > or = 95% for age and gender. A qualitative investigation using a phenomenological approach was conducted with a thematic analysis. Themes that emerged included intellectual disconnect, body image incongruence, social importance, and exercise perspectives. Children correctly identified healthy and unhealthy behaviors: dietary intake and physical activity. Children's knowledge about healthy dietary intake and physical activities disconnected from actual health practices. Children demonstrated confusion about physical activity requirements: frequency, intensity, and duration. Nurses need to develop strategies to bridge disconnect between what children know and actual dietary intake and physical activities. Nurses are fundamental to increasing children's knowledge of physical activity requirements for health promotion and disease prevention.
Duke Scholars
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Related Subject Headings
- United States
- Self Concept
- Obesity
- Nursing
- Male
- Interpersonal Relations
- Humans
- Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
- Female
- Feeding Behavior
Citation
Published In
DOI
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- United States
- Self Concept
- Obesity
- Nursing
- Male
- Interpersonal Relations
- Humans
- Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
- Female
- Feeding Behavior