Perceptions of Local Parents and School Staff on Childhood Obesity Prevention Interventions in Iran
Background and Objectives: Childhood obesity is an increasing public health problem in Iran, and there is no evidence for effective prevention strategies to date. The aim of this qualitative study was to identify and prioritise perceived potential interventions by parents and school staff to help in...
Main Authors: | , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences
2014-09-01
|
Series: | Nutrition and Food Sciences Research |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://nfsr.sbmu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-52-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 |
id |
doaj-74d83917a71d418db0315df541a07ced |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-74d83917a71d418db0315df541a07ced2020-11-25T01:23:00ZengShahid Beheshti University of Medical SciencesNutrition and Food Sciences Research2283-04412383-30092014-09-01113340Perceptions of Local Parents and School Staff on Childhood Obesity Prevention Interventions in IranBehnoush Mohammadpour-Ahranjani0Morteza Abdollahi1Miranda J Pallan2Peymane Adab3 Nutrition Research Department, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Nutrition Research Department, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Unit of Public Health, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Health and Population Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, The University of Birmingham B15 2TT Unit of Public Health, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Health and Population Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, The University of Birmingham B15 2TT Background and Objectives: Childhood obesity is an increasing public health problem in Iran, and there is no evidence for effective prevention strategies to date. The aim of this qualitative study was to identify and prioritise perceived potential interventions by parents and school staff to help inform the development of an obesity prevention intervention for Iranian school children. Materials and Methods: Focus groups were held with the parents of primary school aged children and school staff working in primary schools in Tehran city. Additionally, three interviews were held with two physical education teachers and one school nurse. The participants were asked about the causes of obesity and what activities they believed would help children to maintain healthy weight. Then they were asked to prioritise the activities that would have the greatest impact on children to maintain their healthy weight. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Parents were selected from a range of socio-economic backgrounds to include two groups from each of high, medium, and low socio-economic districts of Tehran. Eleven focus groups were held with a total of 85 participants. Results: Public policy interventions included the provision of valid nutrition information, physical activity promotion, and accessibility to healthy foods. School-based interventions included improving physical education, providing organised physical activity, provision of good quality education for children, parents and school staff, improving school shops, and using rewards and competitions. The findings suggest that close liaison should be established between the school, the family, and the broader community. Conclusions: This study provided important contextual data on where the emphasis should be placed in developing the childhood obesity prevention interventions for the school children in Tehran. The findings further highlight the importance of involving a wide range of stakeholders, and including multiple components to maximise the chances of success. Keywords: Child, Obesity, Prevention, Intervention, Qualitative research, Iranhttp://nfsr.sbmu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-52-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1Child Obesity Prevention Intervention Qualitative research Iran |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Behnoush Mohammadpour-Ahranjani Morteza Abdollahi Miranda J Pallan Peymane Adab |
spellingShingle |
Behnoush Mohammadpour-Ahranjani Morteza Abdollahi Miranda J Pallan Peymane Adab Perceptions of Local Parents and School Staff on Childhood Obesity Prevention Interventions in Iran Nutrition and Food Sciences Research Child Obesity Prevention Intervention Qualitative research Iran |
author_facet |
Behnoush Mohammadpour-Ahranjani Morteza Abdollahi Miranda J Pallan Peymane Adab |
author_sort |
Behnoush Mohammadpour-Ahranjani |
title |
Perceptions of Local Parents and School Staff on Childhood Obesity Prevention Interventions in Iran |
title_short |
Perceptions of Local Parents and School Staff on Childhood Obesity Prevention Interventions in Iran |
title_full |
Perceptions of Local Parents and School Staff on Childhood Obesity Prevention Interventions in Iran |
title_fullStr |
Perceptions of Local Parents and School Staff on Childhood Obesity Prevention Interventions in Iran |
title_full_unstemmed |
Perceptions of Local Parents and School Staff on Childhood Obesity Prevention Interventions in Iran |
title_sort |
perceptions of local parents and school staff on childhood obesity prevention interventions in iran |
publisher |
Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences |
series |
Nutrition and Food Sciences Research |
issn |
2283-0441 2383-3009 |
publishDate |
2014-09-01 |
description |
Background and Objectives: Childhood obesity is an increasing public health problem in Iran, and there is no evidence for effective prevention strategies to date. The aim of this qualitative study was to identify and prioritise perceived potential interventions by parents and school staff to help inform the development of an obesity prevention intervention for Iranian school children.
Materials and Methods: Focus groups were held with the parents of primary school aged children and school staff working in primary schools in Tehran city. Additionally, three interviews were held with two physical education teachers and one school nurse. The participants were asked about the causes of obesity and what activities they believed would help children to maintain healthy weight. Then they were asked to prioritise the activities that would have the greatest impact on children to maintain their healthy weight. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Parents were selected from a range of socio-economic backgrounds to include two groups from each of high, medium, and low socio-economic districts of Tehran. Eleven focus groups were held with a total of 85 participants.
Results: Public policy interventions included the provision of valid nutrition information, physical activity promotion, and accessibility to healthy foods. School-based interventions included improving physical education, providing organised physical activity, provision of good quality education for children, parents and school staff, improving school shops, and using rewards and competitions. The findings suggest that close liaison should be established between the school, the family, and the broader community.
Conclusions: This study provided important contextual data on where the emphasis should be placed in developing the childhood obesity prevention interventions for the school children in Tehran. The findings further highlight the importance of involving a wide range of stakeholders, and including multiple components to maximise the chances of success.
Keywords: Child, Obesity, Prevention, Intervention, Qualitative research, Iran |
topic |
Child Obesity Prevention Intervention Qualitative research Iran |
url |
http://nfsr.sbmu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-52-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT behnoushmohammadpourahranjani perceptionsoflocalparentsandschoolstaffonchildhoodobesitypreventioninterventionsiniran AT mortezaabdollahi perceptionsoflocalparentsandschoolstaffonchildhoodobesitypreventioninterventionsiniran AT mirandajpallan perceptionsoflocalparentsandschoolstaffonchildhoodobesitypreventioninterventionsiniran AT peymaneadab perceptionsoflocalparentsandschoolstaffonchildhoodobesitypreventioninterventionsiniran |
_version_ |
1725124118079078400 |