Student perceptions of adolescent wellness

Although wellness has become a declared priority within education, a thorough exploration of the factors responsible for student wellness has yet to occur. There have been many studies with a focus on adolescent problems; however, wellness research is limited and non-holistic in its approach. This dissertation sought to explore the adolescent wellness phenomenon and the factors influencing its enhancement through the experiences of adolescents and teachers. The primary purpose of the research was to explore adolescents’ perceptions of wellness in two mid-sized Western Canadian high schools. The second purpose was to use a theoretical framework to describe the relationship between adolescent perceptions of wellness and the developmental dimensions of adolescent lives, the perceived influences on adolescent wellness, and the links between professional support (teachers) and students’ perceived levels of wellness (low, medium and high-level wellness). To accomplish this, two hundred and eighty grade eleven students completed a wellness survey. Additionally, subgroups of 22 students and 6 teachers were asked to participate in focus group discussions. It was found that wellness was a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. The study revealed that there were at least four dimensions contributing to the balance of wellness: physical (physical activity, nutrition, smoking, drugs and alcohol), psychological (self-esteem, media), spiritual and social (parents, teachers and peers). For many students, the dimensions were not considered equally important, but wellness was seen to involve maintaining a balance in life. The findings of the study indicated that modifications to particular areas of educational practice should be considered when working to promote adolescent wellness and the some of the suggested change areas include: additional professional development, school health programming and committing to school partnerships with health care professionals such as nurses. Implications for educational policy included the support for professional development related to health education, policies that fiscally support the hiring of school health nurses, and policies that are reflective of adolescent developmental stages. Among the implications for research are a need to further explore the conceptualization of adolescent wellness in youth of all ages and in schools across the Canada, as well as the need for longitudinal studies which would allow for further investigation of wellness, and its validity beyond this study

“Education is Definitely Key”: An Interpretive Description of Nursing Students’ Experiences with Pediatric Oral Health Nursing Education

In North America, dental disease is the leading pediatric chronic illness. Poor oral health influences a child’s ability to speak, eat, and socialize and has been linked with heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Despite overwhelming evidence that poor oral health can have lifelong and systemic influences on overall well-being, comprehensive oral health care has not been emphasized in nursing education. The purpose of this study was to explore third-year nursing students’ perceptions and experiences with pediatric oral health nursing education through an interpretive description approach. Data for analysis gathered in focus group interviews resulted in three main themes: nursing education is key: recognition of and insight into the value of oral health care; fading away: barriers to education and practice; and spreading the culture: improving nursing education and practice. The findings highlight a predominant culture in nursing education and practice in which knowledge and skill acquisition related to pediatric oral health is being neglected. Consequently, nursing students experience limited development of the basic knowledge, skills, and resources to adequately care for infants, children, and adolescents in a holistic and comprehensive manner. Effective strategies to improve nursing education include early integration of oral health concepts, demonstration and hands-on preparation of oral health care practices and assessment, and interprofessional oral health education. Résumé La maladie buccodentaire constitue la maladie chronique la plus courante chez les enfants vivant en Amérique du Nord. Une mauvaise santé buccodentaire influence la capacité d’un enfant à parler, à manger et à socialiser et est associée aux maladies cardiovasculaires, au diabète et au cancer. Malgré des résultats probants qui montrent qu’une mauvaise santé buccodentaire peut avoir des répercussions permanentes et systémiques sur le bien-être général de l’être humain, les programmes de formation en sciences infirmières ne mettent pas suffisamment l’accent sur les soins buccodentaires. Cette étude visait à explorer les perceptions et les expériences d’étudiantes en sciences infirmiers de troisième année concernant leur formation aux soins buccodentaires chez les enfants, par l’entremise d’une approche descriptive interprétative. Les données recueillies dans le cadre d’entrevues de groupe ont permis de dégager trois grands thèmes : la formation en sciences infirmières est essentielle : reconnaissance et intégration de l’importance de la santé buccodentaire; atténuation: obstacles à la formation et à la pratique; diffusion de la culture : amélioration de la formation et de la pratique des sciences infirmières. Les résultats mettent en évidence une culture prédominante dans la formation et la pratique infirmières qui n’accorde pas une grande importance à l’acquisition de connaissances et d’habiletés en santé buccodentaire infantile. Les étudiantes en sciences infirmières ne développent donc que très peu les connaissances, compétences et ressources de base nécessaires pour prendre adéquatement soin des nourrissons, des enfants et des adolescents de façon holistique et globale. Pour améliorer efficacement la formation en sciences infirmières à ce sujet, il faut notamment présenter les concepts de santé buccodentaire, offrir un apprentissage pratique des soins buccodentaires et de l’évaluation de la santé buccodentaire ainsi qu’offrir une formation interprofessionnelle sur la santé buccodentaire

Enhancing Nursing Students’ Understanding of Oral Health: An Educational Intervention with an Interprofessional Component

Oral health is integral to general health and essential for well-being, and therefore, should be prioritized in pediatric nursing education. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine if an oral health education intervention with an Interprofessional Education (IPE) component delivered to third-year baccalaureate nursing students would improve their knowledge of pediatric oral health care. Nursing students (n=99) from a Bachelor of Nursing program in a mid-Western Canadian university completed a survey before and after receiving the educational intervention which included a two-hour lecture from a Dentistry faculty member and a one-hour clinical lab in which nursing students learned how to conduct a comprehensive oral health assessment in practice. Paired-sample t-tests were conducted to compare pre-and post-intervention survey scores. Findings indicate a statistically significant (p \u3c .001) increase in knowledge from pre-test (67%) to post-test (86%) and contribute to a new understanding of the importance of pediatric oral health care in nursing education. The outcome of this intervention is that registered nurses can be prepared with the knowledge necessary to address the disparate oral health challenges experienced by children globally. These findings will provide the foundation for the refinement and implementation of the educational intervention on an international, multi-site scale. Résumé La santé buccodentaire, essentielle au bien-être, fait partie intégrante de la santé générale. Elle devrait donc constituer une priorité dans la formation infirmière en soins pédiatriques. Cette étude pilote vise à évaluer si une intervention pédagogique appuyée d’un volet interprofessionnel, donnée à des étudiantes de troisième année au baccalauréat en sciences infirmières, améliorerait leurs connaissances au sujet des soins pédiatriques relatifs à la santé buccodentaire. Les étudiantes (n = 99) au baccalauréat en sciences infirmières d’une université du Centre-Ouest du Canada ont rempli un sondage avant et après avoir suivi une intervention pédagogique qui comprenait une conférence de deux heures présentée par un membre de la Faculté de médecine dentaire, ainsi qu’un laboratoire clinique d’une heure où elles ont appris à effectuer une évaluation complète de la santé buccodentaire en situation de pratique. Des tests t pour échantillons appariés ont été réalisés pour comparer les résultats du sondage avant et après l’intervention. Les résultats démontrent une augmentation statistiquement significative (p \u3c 0,001) des connaissances de l’examen préintervention (67 %) à l’examen postintervention (86 %), et offrent une nouvelle compréhension de l’importance des soins pédiatriques relatifs à la santé buccodentaire dans la formation infirmière. Cette intervention procure ainsi le savoir nécessaire aux infirmières autorisées pour régler les différents problèmes de santé buccodentaire touchant les enfants du monde. Ces résultats permettront de perfectionner l’intervention pédagogique et de la mettre en œuvre à l’échelle internationale, en plusieurs endroits

The Politics of Policy Development to End Obesity for Aboriginal Youth in the Educational Environment

Canada, a country of considerable wealth and resources, has one of the highest standards of living in the world. This country is politically organized as a democracy that is supportive of political and civil freedoms, yet inequalities among certain populations prevail. In general, Aboriginal people experience poorer economic, social, and environmental conditions than those of non-Aboriginal people (Canadian Population Health Initiative, 2005) and lower involvement in political and civil activity. This report also illustrates the inferior health status among Aboriginal people. Within the school system, an educational policy can serve to address an inequality. Hence, the purpose of the paper is to apply the tools outlined by Deborah Stone in her book, Policy Parodox: The Art of Political Decision Making (2002), to demonstrate why I believe school policies should be developed to prevent obesity among Aboriginal youth, to understand the politics of implementing these policies and to analyze and critique the ideas from hypothesized political opponents. Addressing these injustices provides recognition of the racism in present-day educational policy decision-making processes, which can result in more significant progress toward an equal and just society which ensures the health of Aboriginal peoples and successive generations

The Politics of Policy Development to End Obesity for Aboriginal Youth in the Educational Environment

Canada, a country of considerable wealth and resources, has one of the highest standards of living in the world. This country is politically organized as a democracy that is supportive of political and civil freedoms, yet inequalities among certain populations prevail. In general, Aboriginal people experience poorer economic, social, and environmental conditions than those of non-Aboriginal people (Canadian Population Health Initiative, 2005) and lower involvement in political and civil activity. This report also illustrates the inferior health status among Aboriginal people. Within the school system, an educational policy can serve to address an inequality. Hence, the purpose of the paper is to apply the tools outlined by Deborah Stone in her book, Policy Parodox: The Art of Political Decision Making (2002), to demonstrate why I believe school policies should be developed to prevent obesity among Aboriginal youth, to understand the politics of implementing these policies and to analyze and critique the ideas from hypothesized political opponents. Addressing these injustices provides recognition of the racism in present-day educational policy decision-making processes, which can result in more significant progress toward an equal and just society which ensures the health of Aboriginal peoples and successive generations

Nurse-led diabetic retinopathy screening: a pilot study to evaluate a new approach to vision care for Canadian Aboriginal peoples

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of new cases of blindness and is pandemic among Aboriginal people around the world. To reduce health inequities, accessible vision screening among these high-risk populations is essential. To assess cardio-metabolic co-morbidities associated with type 2 diabetes and the use of a portable fundus camera as a novel approach for convenient, earlier and more accessible vision screening for Aboriginal peoples living with type 2 diabetes in northern and remote Canadian communities. This quantitative pilot study screened participants diagnosed with type 2 diabetes for commonly associated cardio-metabolic co-morbidities using anthropometrical measurements, blood pressure and a A1c (HbA1c) blood glucose test, followed by vision exams conducted first by a trained nurse and then by an ophthalmologist to screen for signs of retinopathy using fundus photography. Large numbers of the participants presented with overweight/obese (84.8%), pre-hypertension/hypertension (69.7%) and an elevated A1C (78.8%). Inter-rater reliability demonstrated substantial agreement between vision exam judgements made by the nurse and ophthalmologist (k = .67). Nurse-led vision screening in remote or northern communities can improve the standard of care by extending access to health services, lowering the costs to families by reducing travel expenses and preventing vision loss in a family member

Integrating Constructivist Grounded Theory with a Patient-Oriented Research Approach to Enhance Health Promotion Research

Aim To critically explore the value and challenges of combining a traditional methodology (constructivist grounded theory) with a newer approach (Patient-Oriented Research) in nursing research. Overview of the Issue Researchers need to examine novel approaches to research which incorporate the thoughts and ideas of patients and stakeholders in order to ensure that the research is important to end users. However, it is essential to maintain the rigour of traditional methodologies. Therefore, there is a need to explore combining traditional methodologies with new approaches. Results We combined a rigorous methodology with a modern approach to health promotion research that has not been described in the literature. There are numerous synergies between constructivist grounded theory and Patient-Oriented Research. However, tensions exist including pre-conceived knowledge, patients as researchers, and flexibility in research direction. Discussion Constructivist grounded theory with a Patient-Oriented Research approach for use in health promotion research requires thought and intentionality. Consideration of the time and money needed to build relationships and include patient partners as full team members is critical to successful research. Additionally, points of synergy and tension between constructivist grounded theory and Patient-Oriented Research must be navigated with each study. Conclusion Our findings indicate that constructivist grounded theory can be enhanced with a Patient-Oriented Research approach and may lead to increased depth in the development of the substantive grounded theory while also giving voice to the patient-partners. Implications for Profession There is a need for researchers to actively engage patients and stakeholders in a Patient-Oriented Research process while retaining the core of traditional methodologies. Impact This paper will provide researchers with an exemplar to incorporate patients as team members while conducting constructivist grounded theory research

Preventing type 2 diabetes among Indigenous youth: A systematic review of community-based interventions

ABSTRACTA systematic review was conducted to assess evidence on effectiveness of community-based interventions promoting wellbeing and prevention of type 2 diabetes (T2D) among Indigenous youth. A convergent, segregated, mixed methods approach was used, with six databases and four grey literature sites searched from inception to May 2022. Articles selected for inclusion were about community-based interventions related to T2D prevention with Indigenous youth that evaluated effectiveness or youth experience published in English. Reference lists were also searched for relevant sources. Seven quantitative research articles met the inclusion and quality assessment criteria. No qualitative articles were identified. The results were synthesised through narrative analysis, while meta-analysis was not possible due to heterogenous study designs. Common foci across interventions included promoting physical wellness, improving physical activity and healthy eating patterns, enhancing knowledge, and psychosocial wellness. Interventions deemed effective addressed multiple areas, were school-based, and operated for at least a year. Findings support multi-strategy, community-based interventions implemented over longer periods of time. However, gaps in research and reporting included the extent to which interventions are culturally informed and based on community-driven priorities. Future research should include Indigenous, mixed and qualitative methods and Indigenous-driven measures of success to better understand effectiveness in alignment with Indigenous worldviews