Method
Participants
Each LA school district involved in the study was divided into an intervention
schools group and a control schools group. Those within the intervention group were
responsible for creating a worksite wellness committee made up of school employees and
then developing various health promotion activities that recruited participants would be
required to complete (Siegal et al., 2010). The control schools group played no role in
any intervention.
Materials and Measures
Before beginning the intervention, baseline measurements of all participants were
obtained. Measurements included weight, height, BMI, waist-hip ratio, and fruit and
vegetable consumption. Other measures to assess participants physical activity from the
previous seven days were obtained through a questionnaire known as the International
Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form (Siegal et al., 2010).
The activities that were being implemented into the intervention schools
throughout the first year of the study were focused on improving diet, increasing physical
activity, and areas such as stress management, as well as CPR and First Aid certification
(Siegal et al., 2010). Within the second year of intervention, some of the schools even
offered healthy cooking classes and developed a quarterly newsletter (Siegal et al., 2010).
All of those who participated in the activities and programs received a gift certificate to a
local grocery store (Siegal et al., 2010).
Conclusion
Results
Programs were implemented, data was collected, and results were analyzed,
proving that interventions consisting of both a nutritional and physical activity
component were successful in reducing basal metabolic indexes (BMIs) among faculty
and lowering overall body weight of those who participated. Two years post-intervention,
the participants were re-measured to document findings. The results concluded a decrease
in BMI among the intervention group, as well as a decrease in total body weight.
However, the control group had a slight increase in the amount of minutes per week spent
participating in physical activity, while the intervention group showed a slight decline.
Both groups increased the amounts of fruits and vegetables in their diet (Siegal et al.,
2010, p. 329). Overall, the results proved that the study and programs implemented were
a good starting point in an effort to reduce workplace obesity among those who
participated.
Discussion
This study is important because obesity is more prevalent among those who work
long hours and do not get the daily physical activity requirements needed to sustain a
healthy lifestyle. Nurses identify teaching points with patients through the utilization of
nursing diagnosis. Three nursing diagnosis in relation to this study would be: (1)
Knowledge deficit, (2) Imbalanced nutrition: More than body requirements related to
food intake in excess of energy expenditure, and (3) Activity intolerance related to
sedentary lifestyle. Some expected outcomes for these interventions would be to lose one
pound each week, walk 30 minutes five times per week and identifying behavior
modification to avoid overeating.