KAP study of secondary school students towards obesity in Jamaica

ABSTRACT

A series of focus groups was used to study the knowledge, attitudes and practices of students (ages 11-18 years) towards obesity in Jamaica. Specifically the study sought to Understand whether obesity is considered a nutritional disorder or disease among secondary school students in Jamaica. Understand whether obseity is accepte, and if so what are the specific cultural influences? Describe any difficulties between urban and rural atitudes towards obesity. Provide information to assist the development of public health messages that may be most beneficial for health programmes to utilize, for secondary school students in combatting the problems of obesity. Fifteen focus groups with a total of 180 students were drawn form a total of one thousand and twenty-two (1,022) students, from two schools one located in the urban area of Kingston, St. Andrew; and the other located in the rural area of Ewarton, in the parish of St. Catherine. Samples of students from the two schoos were divided into three categories Young-for-Grade; Average-for-Grade and Old-for-Grade. Students were further grouped into all boys, all girls, and mixed groups of boya and girls. Group interviews were tape recorded, and all recordings were transcribed verbatim. Notes were also made during each session. Following the standard procedures outlined in grounded methods of groupd interviews, open coding of the transcriptions was done. Concepts were identified and developed in terms of their properties and dimensions. Similar questions werelabelled and grouped to form categories relating to each research question. Analysis of the sessions showed that there was no significant difference in the knowledge of causes of obesity among students in diffferent grades. The majority of male students showed a negative attitude or feeling toward being obese. Yet many preferred women who were heavier or had a lower body distribution of adipose tissue which was referred to as a "coca-cola bottle shape" (gynoid obesity), rather than women with an upper-body or abdominal distribution of adipose tissue (android obesity). The majority of female students expressed a positive attitude toward gynoid obesity, but disliked android obesity. In addition, many of the female students expressed their dislike for obese men. Studnts' knowledge about the causes of obesity and prevention measures was not very consistent with their dietary patterns. Most of the students who participated in the focus group sessions did not think of obesity as a nutritional disease, but rather regarded it as a sign of wealth, good living, or access to an abundance of food (AU)