Dr. Alison Tovar, Associate Professor of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Dr. Diane Martins, Professor in the College of Nursing, and Lisa DiBiaso, Instructor in the College of Nursing, were leaders of an innovative, project funded through Rhode Island’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services entitled, “Training Childhood Obesity Prevention for Nursing Students.” The goal of the project was to develop and pilot test a curriculum for fourth-year nursing students on critical topics related to childhood obesity prevention. The curriculum was taught by Dr. Tovar and her graduate students. The purpose of the project was to help students understand the relationship between the social determinants of health and obesity, obesity prevention guidelines and motivational interviewing. In particular, this curriculum aimed to get nursing students comfortable with using basic motivational interviewing techniques in clinical and school-based settings. This training occurred during students’ community and pediatric nursing rotations and included case-based learning opportunities.
Over the course of eight-weeks, nursing students completed e 3 two-hour modules and one motivational interviewing practice session. Nurse practitioners frequently interact with parents and children during well-child visits and have the opportunity to counsel and educate families, serve as a resource to aid in the promotion of healthy lifestyles, and refer patients to additional community resources. Dr. Tovar points out: “Undergraduate nursing students can take general nutrition classes but do not have the opportunity to participate in obesity prevention specific training. This is a missed opportunity for nurses to not only serve as clinic-based practitioners, but also as health educators and advocates for the broader community.”
The curriculum exposed students to several concepts related to the interprofessional education competencies. It will incorporate case-based learning where students work in teams and can role-play different roles and responsibilities. The training informed them on when to refer a child or family to a Registered Dietitian, as well as the scope of practice of registered nurses and dietitians as it relates to childhood obesity. Students also learned how to access appropriate resources and personnel to manage this public health issue.
The program ran over the 2018-2019 academic year. Upon the program completion, Tovar and her team have analyzed the data from this project and submitted their results to a peer-reviewed publication. Tovar has gotten continued funding to expand this initial work; She is currently working with Karen Jennings Mathis, PhD, CNP, P MHNP-BC, an Assistant Professor in the College of Nursing to incorporate Substance Use in adolescents and SBIRT (screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment). Tovar and Jennings Mathis are working together to convert the education component into online modules and are developing a full day of hands on simulations for students to practice and apply what they learn in the online modules. In addition to this work, Tovar is currently working with the Department of Health on a grant to train dental practitioners in the state of Rhode Island on childhood obesity prevention.