Faculty Research

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Lisa Bernardo, PhD, MPH, RN, HFI

Keywords:

• Minority Youth
• Eliminate health disparities

Current Funded Projects:

• The ABCDiet Program: Intervening with Minority Youth
• The Effect of a Continuing Education Program on Oncology Nurses’ Knowledge of and Confidence in Recommending Exercise to Women with Breast Cancer

Barnardo, L
07/01/2006 - 06/30/2009
HRSA

The ABCDiet Program: Intervening with Minority Youth

The pressing need for obesity prevention among American’s youth is addressed as one of the 10 leading health indicators in Healthy People 2010. School nurses work closely with youth, families and communities and can have a positive impact in prevention, early identification, and management of overweight in school children, particularly in the high-risk, minority urban population where health disparities may be associated with lack of consistent access to preventative health care. Long term consequences of obesity, particularly in minority populations, are well documented and there is a clear need for innovative treatment models to address the problem in settings that are conducive to continuity of care. School nurses have a unique role in both daily access to children and intimate knowledge of socio-economic, racial and cultural characteristics of their school community, yet they have been under-utilized in the area of obesity management. Our innovative education project is designed to educate school nurses on current research related to pediatric obesity and to prepare them to make decisions regarding implementation of culturally appropriate weight management programs, based on critical evaluation of existing interventions.

One such program, the ABCDiet Program, an evidence-based dietary program, will be implemented and modified to meet the dietary and cultural needs of low-income, minority students. Prior to implementation, the project Faculty will instruct school nurses on the ABCDiet Program via an 8-hour on-site continuing education offering, ongoing education updates, discussions and consultations related to youth obesity prevention using our School of Nursing’s established web-based education platform, Courseweb. The specific aims of this three year project are to: 1). Educate school nurses on current pediatric obesity research and evidence-based recommendations for diet and exercise in growing children, 2). Assist school nurses with initiation and individualizing the ABCDiet Program to address cultural and racial characteristics of their student populations, 3). Measure changes in school nurse knowledge and confidence in managing nutrition and lifestyle modification for parents and children. Our project’s outcome is to enhance school nurses’ abilities to promote culturally sensitive dietary management in low-income minority youth residing in Southwestern Pennsylvania, thereby influencing the prevalence of overweight and obese in this population.

Barnardo, L
03/15/2007 - 03/15/2009
ONS

The Effect of a Continuing Education Program on Oncology Nurses’ Knowledge of and Confidence in Recommending Exercise to Women with Breast Cancer

The purpose of this quasi-experimental pilot study is to measure changes in oncology nurses’ knowledge of and confidence in recommending exercise to women with breast cancer before and after an on-line continuing education program on exercise theory and practice for women with this disease. Research findings demonstrate the positive effects of exercise during and after treatment for breast cancer. However, oncology professionals may not recommend exercise to women with breast cancer due to their lack of knowledge in this specialty. Education literature supports the use of on-line education to enhance nurses’ knowledge of and confidence in applying learned knowledge in their nursing practice. By measuring oncology nurses’ knowledge of and confidence in recommending exercise before and after an education program, we will learn in an on-line educational intervention improves their knowledge and confidence in recommending exercise to women with breast cancer.