Date of Conferral
12-11-2025
Date of Award
December 2025
Degree
Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)
School
Health Sciences
Advisor
Joseph Robare
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated an shift to mandatory virtual learning (VL) for kindergarten through grade 12 students, disrupting educational systems globally and exposing systemic inequities. Although researchers had explored health and education disparities separately, they had not adequately examined the intersection of child health, specifically body mass index (BMI) and health-affected ability, with school readiness and level of distraction in VL environments. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional study was to examine associations between BMI, health affected ability, school readiness, and distraction levels among U.S. Black children engaged in VL in the 2020 school year, controlling for gender, age, and parental education level. The socioecological model was the framework utilized. Data from the 2020 National Survey of Children's Health were analyzed using ordinal logistic regression to test four research questions pertaining to (a) BMI in school readiness, (b) BMI and level of distraction, (c) health affected ability and level of distraction, and (d) school readiness and level of distraction. The sample size was 725 participants. Results indicated that higher BMI were associated with lower levels of school readiness and greater levels of distraction. Health-affected ability was a significant predictor of distraction. Children who experienced more health limitations were more likely to report higher levels of distraction. Furthermore, lower school readiness was associated with greater distraction, suggesting that health-related factors and academic preparedness influenced children’s ability to remain engaged during virtual instruction. This study has the potential to reduce health-related academic disparities and promote positive social change in historically underserved youth populations.
Recommended Citation
Barnes, Imani, "Successful Strategies for Sustaining Women-Owned Businesses Beyond 5 Years" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 19279.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/19279
