| Research Abstract |
We conducted a one-year nursing intervention program to improve self-care techniques of children with lifestyle-related health problems and their parents. Then, we studied the effects of conducting the program upon improving recognition, behavior and obesity of such school children. The subjects were 37 first-to 6th grades-elementary school children (17 boys, 20 girls) and their mothers. The children were asked to fill out a questionnaire on self-efficacy and social support and were interviewed for recognition of their own health status and behavior in daily life before and after the program. On the other hand, their mothers were asked to complete a questionnaire or were interviewed as to the definition of health in their understanding, recognition of their own health status and behavior of their children in daily life before and after the program. As for intervention, at the interview they were instructed, by means of a pamphlet that we made, in methods of lifestyle improvement. A lif
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estyle-improvement program was then conducted for 2 hours after school once a month for 10 months (10 times in total). As a result, although obesity was significantly improved 1 month after initiation of the intervention (t=4.09, p<0.001), it started to aggravate again to show no significant difference at the end of the program. The number of thin children changed from 1 to 0, that of standard-weight children from 20 to 24, that of children with mild obesity from 9 to 5, that of children with medium obesity from 5 to 7 and that of children with severe obesity from 2 to 1. Regarding self-efficacy, no significant increase was observed after the program. Parent scores for social support tended to increase significantly after the program (Z=-1.64, P=0.10). As for the program's effects on the children, there were changes in exercising and eating behavior, such as "exercising, " "reduction in the amount of meals and snacks that children ate" and "nutritional balance improved, " changes in physical condition such as "not tired after running' and "body weight decreased, " changes in recognition of self-care for better health, such as "choosing low-calorie snacks, " "measuring body weight, " "aware of appropriate amount of meal" and "considering the relationship between exercise and calorie consumption, " and changes in self-efficacy such as "has a positive attitude" and "making efforts to achieve the target." In addition, "having more talks between children and parents" was observed. This program can therefore be judged to have both short-and long-term effects on obesity improvement. Less
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