Perceptional Evaluation of the Obese Children in Terms of Body, Nutrition and Exercise.

Abstract

In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the perception of body, nutrition and exercise of obese children and their situations causing obesity. This study was carried out on 14 children aged 10 years old living in Avcilar district of Istanbul, who were classified as obese according to the World Health Organization (WHO) percentiles. Since the research was aimed at evaluating the perspectives of the participants who experienced obesity in detail, the case, which is one of the qualitative research models, was planned in the science (phenomenology) pattern. Phenomenological research has been specifically chosen to emphasize participants' perspectives and to understand them better . Body image scale consisting of 14 figures has been used for body perception in the age group of 10.A semi-structured interview form consisting of 20 questions was used to evaluate the perception of nutrition and exercise. Face to face interviews were made with the participants and voice recordings were obtained with their permission. After the sound recordings were transferred to the text and listened to, they were categorized with the content analysis method. Fourteen obese children, nine boys, and five girls participated in the study. Three topics were determined by the content analysis method. These are the participants' body image, perception of nutrition, and perception of exercise. As a result of the study, it was found that obese participants were not satisfied with their appearance and wanted to appear slim. They expressed some of the reasons why they wanted to be slimmer as being able to run and move faster. Most of the participants stated that they were mocked by their friends because of their appearance. It was determined that they define healthy and unhealthy nutrition in the right way and interpret them as sports activities for getting slim rather than health in their perceptions about exercise. Article visualizations: