NR 716 Week 3 The Practice Question

Student Name

Chamberlain University

NR-716: Analytic Methods

Prof. Name

Date

NR 716 Week 3 Discussion Thread

Practice Question

Hi Dr. Jennings,

My proposed practice question is as follows:

In families with children, does implementing the Healthy Home Offerings via the Mealtime Environment (HOME) Plus Program, compared to routine mealtime practices, influence nutrition-related outcomes and behaviors over a period of 8–10 weeks? (Fulkerson et al., 2018).

This question focuses on addressing the persistent issue of childhood obesity, which poses major public health, medical, and financial challenges (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022). Early onset of obesity increases the risk of long-term complications such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and chronic illnesses. Therefore, implementing effective, family-centered interventions is crucial for establishing and maintaining lifelong healthy behaviors.

Importance of Collaborative Efforts

Combating childhood obesity requires a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach. Healthcare providers, researchers, families, and community organizations must work together to design interventions that are practical and sustainable in real-life settings.

Leach and Tucker (2018) emphasize the importance of narrowing the research-to-practice gap by ensuring that empirically supported strategies are successfully integrated into clinical and community contexts. Collaborative approaches encourage shared accountability, continuous monitoring, and adaptability in intervention design. These joint efforts empower families to model healthy eating and activity habits, enabling children to develop and maintain positive lifestyle choices.

Evidence-Based Interventions from the HOME Plus Program

The HOME Plus Program was structured as a family-focused, evidence-based intervention designed to improve mealtime habits and nutrition-related decision-making. The key objectives of the program were to:

Encourage nutritious food purchasing and preparation.
Reduce reliance on sugar-sweetened beverages.
Decrease sedentary behaviors, particularly excessive screen time.
Enhance confidence in planning and preparing healthy meals.

The study involved 160 children (aged 8–12 years) and their parents, randomly assigned to either an intervention group (81 parents) or a control group (79 parents). By involving both generations, the program reinforced the concept that parental modeling and shared mealtime practices strongly influence children’s dietary behaviors.

Outcomes of the Study

The findings demonstrated significant improvements in nutrition-related outcomes among both parents and children. The results are summarized below:

Outcome	Population	Results	Significance
Self-efficacy in identifying portion sizes	Parents	Parents in the intervention group showed improved ability to recognize appropriate portion sizes compared to the control group.	Statistically significant (Post-intervention P = .002; Follow-up P = .01)
Daily sugar-sweetened beverage intake	Children	Children in the intervention group consumed fewer sugary drinks than those in the control group.	Statistically significant (P = .04)
Long-term impact	Parents & Children	Sustained positive changes in eating behaviors and parental mealtime skills.	Retention rate of 89% at 21 months

These results confirm that structured, family-based programs like HOME Plus can effectively enhance both short-term and sustained nutrition-related behaviors. Improved parental awareness of portion sizes directly contributed to healthier child eating patterns, highlighting the crucial influence of parental role modeling.

Data Collection and Retention Rates

Data were collected through surveys and dietary recalls at three time points to evaluate program outcomes:

Time Point	Description	Retention Rate
Baseline	Collected before the start of the program	—
Post-intervention (12 months)	Data gathered after program completion	93%
Follow-up (21 months)	Data collected to assess long-term effects	89%

High retention rates across all stages indicate the feasibility, acceptability, and engagement potential of the HOME Plus Program. These outcomes demonstrate the scalability of such interventions for broader community use, as families maintained consistent participation over an extended period.

Implications for Nursing Practice

Nurses play a pivotal role in promoting healthy behaviors and implementing preventive interventions. Within the framework of the HOME Plus Program, nurses can:

Educate families about balanced nutrition, portion control, and healthier beverage choices.
Guide parents in establishing structured mealtime routines.
Reduce obesity risks through family-centered lifestyle interventions.
Serve as key facilitators in community-based initiatives translating research into real-world practice.

By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, nurses help ensure that evidence-based research transcends academic boundaries and becomes part of everyday health promotion. This alignment strengthens nursing’s mission to enhance wellness and disease prevention across populations.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Obesity. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/strategies/index.html

Fulkerson, J. A., Friend, S., Horning, M., Flattum, C., Draxten, M., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Gurvich, O., Garwick, A., Story, M., & Kubik, M. Y. (2018). Family home food environment and nutrition-related parent and child personal and behavioral outcomes of the Healthy Home Offerings via the Mealtime Environment (HOME) Plus Program: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 118(2), 240–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2017.04.006

Leach, M. J., & Tucker, B. (2018). Current understandings of the research-practice gap in nursing: A mixed-methods study. Collegian, 25(2), 171–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2017.04.008