Abstract

Regular physical activity (PA) is a necessary health promotion behavior for adolescents. Benefits of regular physical activity are optimal body weight, lowering blood pressure (BP), and decreasing risk factors for chronic illnesses. Yet declining physical activity levels and increasing sedentary behaviors along with the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension exists in teenagers. The purpose of this quantitative research was to study the effects of a School Nurse led teaching intervention to promote physical activity as a healthy behavior on blood pressures and physical activity levels in adolescents. Youth empowerment was the theoretical framework for the study and a peer leader was incorporated. A true experimental design used repeated measures with the same intervention for a total of 4 measures (two before intervention and two after intervention) was implemented. The intervention group received a School Nurse led education session on the healthy benefits of PA. The measures were blood pressure, pulse, body mass index, and physical activity levels. A significant drop in systolic blood pressure was found in the intervention group after education. A negative relationship was found between both systolic blood pressure (SBP) and physical activity levels and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and physical activity levels. Mean physical activity levels increased in the intervention group post education. Possible implications for School Nurse practice include further study, continued use of School Nurse led education programs with teens and dissemination of the findings to other School Nurses.

Description

This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 3356278; ProQuest document ID: 305095359. The author still retains copyright.

Author Details

Nancyruth Leibold, EdD

Sigma Membership

Omega Omicron

Type

Dissertation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Randomized Controlled Trial

Research Approach

Quantitative Research

Keywords:

Adolescent Self-Care, Physical Activity, School Nurses

Advisor

Peggy Hawkins

Second Advisor

Patricia J. Morin

Third Advisor

Angela McKinney-Williams

Degree

Doctoral-Other

Degree Grantor

College of Saint Mary

Degree Year

2009

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

None: Degree-based Submission

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

Date of Issue

2017-07-12

Full Text of Presentation

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