Leveraging High School Students Knowledge of Obesity Conundrum
College
College of Public Health
Mentor Information
Dr. Donna Ettel-Gambino
Description
Adolescent obesity, defined as a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for age and sex, affects approximately 21% of US adolescents aged 12 to younger than 18 years. This chronic, progressive disease is associated with significant immediate and long-term health consequences and requires comprehensive, intensive treatment rather than "watchful waiting.Changes in diet, including decreased fast food and soda consumption are necessary to obesity reduction. The purpose of this study is to examine high school students knowledge and attitudes regarding obesity. A quantitative, causal-comparative design was used to identify differences across groups. The independent variable was the grade level of the student. The dependent variables were the students agreement with the following survey questions: 1) obesity was a national health concern; 2) dieted within the last year; 3) consumed fast foods more than 3 times/week; and 4) consumed more than 2 cans of soda/day. Initially a MANOVA was conducted to compare differences across groups. For significant findings, one-way ANOVA)contrasts were conducted on each dependent variable. The MANOVA results revealed statistically significant differences as evidenced by Wilk’s Λ (16, 612= 0.83, p<0.0001. One way ANOVA contrasts identified two significant criteria: 1) A large number of students (78%) agreed that ‘obesity was a national health concern’ (p<0.0001); and 2) Several students (38%) reported ‘they were on a diet within the past year’ (p<0.002). Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and is associated with numerous health issues. Obesity continues to pose threats to adolescent health through comorbidities and associated mortality.
Leveraging High School Students Knowledge of Obesity Conundrum
Adolescent obesity, defined as a BMI at or above the 95th percentile for age and sex, affects approximately 21% of US adolescents aged 12 to younger than 18 years. This chronic, progressive disease is associated with significant immediate and long-term health consequences and requires comprehensive, intensive treatment rather than "watchful waiting.Changes in diet, including decreased fast food and soda consumption are necessary to obesity reduction. The purpose of this study is to examine high school students knowledge and attitudes regarding obesity. A quantitative, causal-comparative design was used to identify differences across groups. The independent variable was the grade level of the student. The dependent variables were the students agreement with the following survey questions: 1) obesity was a national health concern; 2) dieted within the last year; 3) consumed fast foods more than 3 times/week; and 4) consumed more than 2 cans of soda/day. Initially a MANOVA was conducted to compare differences across groups. For significant findings, one-way ANOVA)contrasts were conducted on each dependent variable. The MANOVA results revealed statistically significant differences as evidenced by Wilk’s Λ (16, 612= 0.83, p<0.0001. One way ANOVA contrasts identified two significant criteria: 1) A large number of students (78%) agreed that ‘obesity was a national health concern’ (p<0.0001); and 2) Several students (38%) reported ‘they were on a diet within the past year’ (p<0.002). Obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States and is associated with numerous health issues. Obesity continues to pose threats to adolescent health through comorbidities and associated mortality.
