Abstract
The purpose of this study was to clarify changes in percent overweight, self-efficacy, social support and health behavior as the effects of a one-year nursing intervention program to improve self-management techniques of children. The subjects were 38 elementary school children from 1st to 6th grades and their mothers. The children were asked to fill out questionnaires on self-efficacy and social support, and were interviewed on their own health status and behavior in daily life before and after the program. As for intervention, at the interview they were instructed, by means of a pamphlet we had prepared, on methods of lifestyle improvement. A lifestyle-improvement program was then conducted for 2 hours after school once a month for 10 months. Body weight and height were measured at the program. As a result, at the end of the one-year intervention program, nine (56.2%) out of 16 overweight children showed a decrease in their percent overweight and parent scores for social support increased significantly. As a result of analyzing the data obtained from the interviews and questionnaires, the following five categories were extracted: (1) Improvement of health behaviors, (2) Improvement of physical condition, (3) Improved self-management ability, (4) Improved self-efficacy, and (5) Increased feeling of being supported. The findings support the conclusion that this one-year intervention program was effective in improving the health behaviors of school children as well as the degree of percent overweight of overweight children.
