ERIC Number: EJ1221920
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Aug
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1059-8405
EISSN: N/A
Do Schools That Screen for Body Mass Index Have Recommended Safeguards in Place?
Sliwa, Sarah A.; Brener, Nancy D.; Lundeen, Elizabeth A.; Lee, Sarah M.
Journal of School Nursing, v35 n4 p299-308 Aug 2019
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that schools adopt 10 safeguards before launching a body mass index (BMI) screening program; however, little is known about schools' safeguard adoption. Authors identified questions from the 2014 School Health Policies and Practices Study that aligned with 4 of the 10 safeguards to estimate safeguard prevalence among schools that screened students for BMI (40.7%, N = 223). Among these schools, 3.1% had all four safeguards and 56.5% had none or one. The most prevalent safeguard was having reliable and accurate equipment (54.1%, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [46.1, 62.1]). Providing staff with appropriate expertise and training was the least prevalent; respondents in 26.4% (95% CI [17.1, 35.6]) of schools received recent training on weight status assessment, weight management, and eating disorder identification. School-based BMI screening is common, but adopting multiple recommended safeguards is not. Absent these safeguards, BMI screening programs may fall short of intended outcomes and potentially incur unintended consequences.
Descriptors: Body Composition, Body Weight, Body Height, Safety, Measurement Equipment, School Personnel, Competence, Training, Eating Disorders, Health Behavior, Screening Tests, School Policy, Health Promotion, Elementary Secondary Education
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A