Evidence-based Practice Change Project Proposal 2022

Running head: EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE CHANGE PROJECT PROPOSAL 1
Evidence-based Practice Project Proposal
Student Name
Chamberlain University
Date

EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE CHANGE PROJECT PROPOSAL 2
Nursing Practice Concern/Problem
Kindergarten years are significant phases of growth and development in children and they
affect the entire life of the child in the future. Multiple factors influence the health of a child. The
influence of the western lifestyle such as the life of inactivity and the consumption of high-calorie-
dense foods have been found to impact the health of elementary school-aged children. Obesity is a
lifestyle disease that is wholly preventable but requires early intervention through effective
intervention and prevention programs to minimize the negative consequences of the condition in later
life. Nutrition education has been proposed as the most effective intervention for the prevention of
childhood obesity.
PICOT Question
(P) In obese elementary-aged children (I) Does nutritional education, compared to having (C) no
nutritional education, in a way that will (O) reduce BMI over the next (T) 8 weeks
Key Stakeholders
The major stakeholders in this project will include elementary school teachers, parents,
elementary students, hospitals, gynecologists, and nutrition and dietetics officers. The elementary
school teachers are key stakeholders in this project because they are the potential implementers of
nutritional education programs. Additionally, studies have indicated that school-going children spend
most of their time at school than in any other place (Stage et al., 2018; Hall et al., 2016b). Thus, the
teachers are the most effective stakeholders in the implementation of the project. Similarly, the
students’ parents and the children themselves are key stakeholders because the parents must give their
consent and the children have to actively participate in the intervention. Other key stakeholders such
as hospitals, nutritional experts and gynecologists are significant in the design and development of the
nutritional education program
Theoretical Framework

EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE CHANGE PROJECT PROPOSAL 3
The Social Cognitive Theory has been developed, customized, and adapted to care for the
health of the participants by aiming at behavioral changes towards a healthful diet and lifestyle. The
theory emphasizes that human conduct relies on the mutual interaction of individual, behavioral, and
ecological factors 4. Multiple health-promoting interventions for elementary children and based on the
social cognitive theory are more effective in creating substantial changes in healthy eating and living
an active life 5 (Mead et al., 2017).
Literature Review
Several studies have addressed the subject of this paper from different angles. Yin et al. (2019)
conducted a study that was aimed at assessing the effectiveness of prevention programs for early
childhood obesity among school-aged children. The randomized controlled study involved 444
children between two and nineteen years. The scholars found out that the use of face to face sessions
focused on nutritional education plays a key role in improving BMI by motivating the parents and
children to adhere to recommended practices. By recruiting trained professionals with extensive
experience also enhances the effectiveness of the education sessions and subsequent outcomes.
Studies by Stage et al. (2018), Hall et al. (2016b), and Suiraoka et al. (2017) have also shown a related
trend in their findings.
Jarper-Ratner et al. (2016) also investigated the impact of education-based nutritional programs
as well as community-centered experimental cooking to improve knowledge, encouraging the
consumption of vegetables, and reducing obesity. The scholars used a quasi-experimental design to
assess data from the underserved elementary schools in Chicago. According to the findings, based on
T-test analysis, experimental cooking, as well as nutritional education programs, improve the
knowledge of learners regarding their dietary and food consumption behaviors. Although there was
selection bias in the study, it showed how nutritional education is central to positive dietary behaviors.
Additionally, Graziose et al. (2017) examined the aspect of cost-effectiveness and how it
relates to nutritional education. The research focused on the long-term cost impacts of nutrition-based