Abstract

Purpose: Approximately one fifth of the one billion overweight or obese people in the world are Chinese. China was once considered to have one of the leanest populations, but it is fast catching up with the West in terms of the prevalence of overweight and obesity; disturbingly, this transition has occurred in a remarkably short time.

Methods: Using a simple quasi-experimental design, more than 200 students from two economically and socially diverse middle schools in China were enrolled in a three week after school nutrition and exercise program that included structured information about balanced diet, eating healthy food, and engaging in regular physical activity. The investigative team surveyed students using an instrument designed to explore nutrition and exercise practices as well as electronic screen time and to compare BMI before and after the intervention. Investigators included an American nursing group (two Nurse Educators and three undergraduate students) and Chinese nurses from the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University --Guangzhou, China.

Results: Survey data using SPSS will be shared in tabular presentations representing descriptive data collected from the two Chinese middle schools. Inter-correlations among the study variables of BMI, screen time, self-appraisal of exercise and eating habits will be included in the analysis. The experience of conducting inter-cultural research with undergraduate students from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and with Chinese middle school students, RNs and translators will be addressed. Limitations of the study and implications for future study will be covered.

Conclusion: Continuation of the study with a comparison group of rural Wisconsin students from an economically disadvantaged community and with international students who presently reside in Wisconsin will also be presented as work in progress. Project was supported by the Center for International Education and by the Department of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

Author Details

Kirkhorn, Lee-Ellen, PhD, RN; Meerwald, Anja F., SN; Zhou, Peiru, RN

Sigma Membership

Pi Phi

Type

Presentation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

N/A

Research Approach

N/A

Keywords:

Inter-Cultural Immersion, Obesity in China, Primary Prevention of Type 2 DM

Conference Name

23rd International Nursing Research Congress

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Brisbane, Australia

Conference Year

2012

Rights Holder

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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.

Acquisition

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Global health nursing research in Guangzhou, China

Brisbane, Australia

Purpose: Approximately one fifth of the one billion overweight or obese people in the world are Chinese. China was once considered to have one of the leanest populations, but it is fast catching up with the West in terms of the prevalence of overweight and obesity; disturbingly, this transition has occurred in a remarkably short time.

Methods: Using a simple quasi-experimental design, more than 200 students from two economically and socially diverse middle schools in China were enrolled in a three week after school nutrition and exercise program that included structured information about balanced diet, eating healthy food, and engaging in regular physical activity. The investigative team surveyed students using an instrument designed to explore nutrition and exercise practices as well as electronic screen time and to compare BMI before and after the intervention. Investigators included an American nursing group (two Nurse Educators and three undergraduate students) and Chinese nurses from the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University --Guangzhou, China.

Results: Survey data using SPSS will be shared in tabular presentations representing descriptive data collected from the two Chinese middle schools. Inter-correlations among the study variables of BMI, screen time, self-appraisal of exercise and eating habits will be included in the analysis. The experience of conducting inter-cultural research with undergraduate students from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and with Chinese middle school students, RNs and translators will be addressed. Limitations of the study and implications for future study will be covered.

Conclusion: Continuation of the study with a comparison group of rural Wisconsin students from an economically disadvantaged community and with international students who presently reside in Wisconsin will also be presented as work in progress. Project was supported by the Center for International Education and by the Department of Nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire College of Nursing and Health Sciences.