Childhood Obesity: A Survey of the Nutrition and Physical Activity Components of the Coordinated School Health (CSH) Program in Rural Tennessee

With the rise in childhood overweight and obesity rates in the United States, understanding the issue has become of mainstay importance. This study provides insight into the nutritional knowledge and related health perceptions of parents’ whose children have participated in a Coordinated School Health (CSH) program in rural Tennessee. Surveys were distributed between two elementary grade level school systems in Washington County, Tennessee, to serve the need of interpreting the knowledge, values, and ideas on childhood health regarding CSH program effectiveness. While our findings across both schools revealed moderate levels of parental knowledge on health and nutritional issues, we also identified several disparities surrounding knowledge about the childhood overweight and obesity issue. Based on these results, we conclude that schools in rural areas may benefit from the implementation of a periodic assessment gauging parental knowledge and attitudes. In turn, understanding where these gaps exist may help CSH program administrators identify possible program modifications, provide targeted resource support to parents, and, ultimately, address stalling body mass index improvement rates among students who live in rural areas