Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Joanne Minnick

Abstract

Asthma is a chronic life-long lung disease that contributes to morbidity and mortality around the world. The increased prevalence of asthma, particularly in children who are obese, inadequate assessment of obesity in pediatric patients, and a gap in staff knowledge regarding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) body mass index (BMI) percentiles resulted in a need for strategies to minimize this health concern. The purpose of this staff education project was to increase staff’s knowledge about identifying asthma patients who are clinically obese using the CDC BMI percentiles. The framework for the project was based on Knowles’s adult learning theory (andragogy); and the chronic care model. The practice-focused question for this project was whether implementation of a training program on the use of the CDC BMI percentiles as an assessment tool for overweight or obesity in children would increase staff’s knowledge about pediatric asthma patients with obesity. The overall design and method for the project was a staff education intervention provided to interdisciplinary healthcare professionals in an outpatient clinic. Data collection and evaluation was completed using pre- and post-test questions to analyze participants’ knowledge before and after the intervention. 16 participants attended the educational session and completed the pre- and post-test questions. Findings and recommendations indicated that the post-test scores were higher than pre-test scores, the educational session significantly increased the staff’s knowledge, and that evidence can be accelerated into clinical practice through interdisciplinary teams. Implications for positive social change include future policy development, use of best practice initiatives, and improving

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