Abstract

Background: Obesity is a major health issue that increases medical costs and decreases the quality of life. It is therefore important to try to prevent obesity by adhering to a healthy lifestyle. The definition of a healthy lifestyle may be very different for individuals in their perception of obesity. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of healthy eating and activity patterns of pre-licensure nursing students in order to increase their obesity awareness.
Methods: A pre-test questionnaire on healthy eating and activity patterns was administered to a convenience sample of 44 pre-licensure nursing students. The students then tracked their eating and activity patterns for one week using the iPad application of ChooseMyPlate Tracker by Live strong.com and a post-test was given to those nursing students who used the application. Only half of the students who tracked their eating and activity patterns had received nutrition training (n=22). The data was analyzed for variances using descriptive statistics and the Mann-Whitney U test.
Results: There was a significant difference (p<.05) between the pre-test and post-test scores. Nursing students had higher perceptions of healthy eating and activity after tracking their own eating and activity patterns for a week. There was no significant difference in the scores between the groups of nursing students who were provided nutrition training and those that did not receive the training.
Conclusion: Findings from this study indicate that nursing students had a greater awareness of a healthy lifestyle when they actively tracked their own eating and activity patterns. Nutrition training had no impact on how they perceived their healthy eating and activity patterns. These findings highlight how an iPad applicationcan promote healthy eating and activity in individuals to increase obesity awareness. This awareness has significant implications for the prevention of obesity.