“Bee” Healthy! Mrs. Flandro’s 1 st Grade Class Washington Elementary Ali Denton Nurs 4020

Statistics  2 of 4 of the elementaries in Washington City, Utah are Title 1 schools, offering free and reduced meals for qualifying students (Washington County School District, 2013).  In 2011, 12.1% of the population were living in poverty in Washington City (City-Data.com, 2013).  According to the Utah Department of Health website, over 1 in 5 elementary-age children in Utah are overweight or obese (2010).

Community Assessment Focus: Washington City Problems noted within the community included:  Large percentage of low income families  Risk of inadequate nutrition  High rate of absenteeism in fall and winter seasons due to sickness  Drug abuse

Diagnosis  There is an increased risk of general acute illnesses among children in Washington, Utah in the fall and winter seasons related to inadequate knowledge of hygiene and health maintenance as demonstrated by increased absenteeism from school in the fall and winter seasons. Chosen specific community: Mrs. Flandro’s 1 st grade class at Washington Elementary

Goals Short Term Goals  The children in Mrs. Flandro’s 1 st grade class at Washington Elementary will verbalize an intent to engage and will be able to demonstrate appropriate health maintenance behaviors. (Primary prevention) Long Term Goals  The children in Mrs. Flandro’s 1 st grade class at Washington Elementary will have a decreased rate of absenteeism from school due to sickness in the fall and winter season. (Primary prevention)

Outcome Objective  By March 30, 2014, as a result of general hygiene and health maintenance education to the children in Mrs. Flandro’s class who established proper hygiene and health maintenance behaviors, there will be a reduction in sick children on absentee records at Washington Elementary.

Impact Objective  By November 30, 2013, 100% of the students participating in the health education in Mrs. Flandro’s 1 st grade class will be able to verbalize understanding and demonstrate proper hygiene and health maintenance behaviors.

Plan Using visual aids and a group discussion, education will be provided, highlighting proper hygiene and health maintenance behaviors including:  Proper hand washing  Covering mouth  Vaccines  Proper nutrition & exercise

First… An overview was created to identify what needed to be taught and an order established to maintain flow.

Overview/teaching plan of health and nutrition presentation

Second… A visual aid was created to help the children understand the different health topics.

The Presentation Mrs. Flandro’s 1 st Grade Class Mascot: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Every class in Washington Elementary has a college mascot to focus on in order to promote aspiring to get a college education. Mrs. Flandro’s class is the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. I was able to influence the title of the presentation, “Bee” Healthy, with the mascot.

Before the presentation, only the titles of each section were visible. As we discussed the different portions, we put up the pictures on the board.

Through each portion of the discussion, the children were able to talk about the healthy things that they could do, such as the ways that they could exercise, nutritious foods that they could eat, and the proper way to wash hands. Using the “Happy Birthday” song, the children were able to remember how long they needed to wash their hands. After the discussion, the kids were given a coloring page to remember what they learned.

Results Through the health discussion, the children in Mrs. Flandro’s class were able to verbalize an intent to engage and were able to demonstrate appropriate health maintenance behaviors. They showed their excitement about knowing new things about their health. At this time, it is unclear if their absentee rates will go down due to the short term nature of the project.

References City-Data.com. (2013). Retrieved from data.com/city/Washington-Utah.html Utah Department of Health. (2010). Retrieved from Washington County School District. (2013). Retrieved from