The Journal of School Nursing

School nurses, as vaccination advocates, need to be aware of parents’ common concerns regarding vaccines, so the nurse can develop strategies to communicate with parents. The purpose of this cross-sectional, descriptive study was to identify common reasons parents in Utah seek exempting rather than vaccinating their children. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 801 parents responding to a 16-item questionnaire about why they exempted their children from receiving vaccinations. The most commonly reported reason for seeking a personal exemption included vaccines conflicting with philosophical beliefs. Parents exempting from one vaccine most commonly exempted the hepatitis series. Most parents communicated their vaccine concerns with their health care provider prior to seeking exemption. The majority of exempting parents did not use the Internet when researching vaccines even though they had Internet access. Considering the common vaccine-related perceptions of parents may be helpful when developing strategies to overcome these barriers to vaccination.

Asthma is related to school absenteeism and underperformance in elementary students. This pilot study assessed whether school nurse case management (CM) in children identified with asthma impacts academic performance and school absenteeism in one school. A validated questionnaire was used to identify children at risk for asthma and CM was provided to link these students to medical care and assure asthma action plans at school. In the 40 children with confirmed diagnosis who received CM, academic performance on standardized testing postintervention was similar to the 76 children who were low risk for asthma. Average days absent due to illness in the CM group were reduced from 5.8 to 3.7 days in the postintervention school year. School nurse screening, CM, and collaboration with a medical provider resulted in early identification, referral, and subsequent treatment of students at risk for asthma and may have contributed to reduced illness absences.

The purpose of the study is to assess the relationship between timing of adolescent development and risk factors for suicide. Nationally representative data from the Add Health survey were used. The relationship of sociodemographic characteristics, known risk factors, and physical developmental timing and cognitive developmental style to suicide attempt was assessed. Depression was a risk factor for suicide attempts in both 9th and 11th grade. Other risk factors differed. Use of illegal drugs, homosexual orientation, using public assistance, and physical development were the important risk factors for ninth graders. For 11th graders, sexual abuse, being in counseling, and being of “other” race or ethnicity (mainly Asian or Native American) were risk factors. The cognitive development variable of using a systematic problem-solving method was protective for 11th graders. Recognizing that risk factors for adolescent suicide attempts change over time and with developmental timing of puberty is an important factor for suicide prevention strategies.

Time perspective is a cultural behavioral concept that reflects individuals’ orientations or attitudes toward the past, present, or future. Individuals’ time perspectives influence their choices regarding daily activities. Time perspective is an important consideration when teaching adolescents about the importance of being physically active. However, little is known about the relationship between time perspective and physical activity among adolescents. The purpose of this study was to determine the time perspective of central Appalachian adolescents and explore the relationship between time perspective and physical activity. This study was guided by The theory of planned behavior (TPB). One hundred and ninety-three students completed surveys to examine time perspective and physical activity behaviors. Data were collected in one school. Results of this study can inform school nurses and high school guidance counselors about the importance of promoting a future-oriented time perspective to improve physical activity and educational outcomes.

This study examined depression in low-income elementary school children and identified gender differences in factors that influence depression from an ecological perspective. Participants were 262 first- to sixth-grade children recruited from six Korean community centers. Personal factors were anxiety and self-concept. Environmental factors consisted of caregiver (perceived caregiving style), school (perceived school life and quality of peer relations), and neighborhood. The outcome variable was depression. The predictors of boys’ depression were anxiety, perceived school life, and neighborhood. Predictors of girls’ depression were anxiety, self-concept, caregiving style, and neighborhood. School nurses are encouraged to screen elementary school children for depressive symptoms and consider gender differences and environmental factors when intervening in depression. School-focused interventions may be more effective for boys; family-focused interventions may be more beneficial for girls.

This study aims to examine the relationship between sleep duration and body mass index (BMI) in two South Korean samples: children and adolescents. Nationally representative secondary data (i.e., the Korean Survey on the Obesity of Youth and Children) collected in 2009 were analyzed (N = 2,499 for children and N = 7,431 for adolescents). Descriptive statistics and analysis of variance were implemented to examine BMI levels depending on sleep duration. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to explore the existence of a strong association between sleep duration and BMI z score after controlling for other factors. In both samples, sleep length had a reverse linear relationship with BMI z score, and shorter sleep duration was significantly associated with an increase in BMI z score. School nurses should take note of the strong association between sleep duration and BMI for more effective weight control in children and adolescence.

The goal of the current study was to assess the efficacy and acceptability of a web-based tutorial (Child Health Matters, CHM) designed to improve school nurses’ communications with families about pediatric weight-related health issues. Using a randomized wait-list control design, a nationally representative sample of school nurses was assigned to immediate or delayed access conditions. Pre-, post-, and follow-up assessments of knowledge, barriers to providing obesity treatment, and intended practices were conducted. Results indicated that, relative to wait-list controls, immediate-access nurses demonstrated significant increases in knowledge and decreases in perceived barriers to discussing weight-related health, and significantly greater intentions to assess physical activity, and to recommend dietary changes and physical activity. Wait-list nurses demonstrated significant within-group improvements after completing CHM. Nurses reported a high degree of satisfaction with CHM. Results suggest that web-based tutorials can effect changes in nurses’ knowledge, perceived barriers, and intended practices with regard to weight-related health care.