Browsing by Author "Williams, Lindsay"

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    A scoping review of school-based anthropometric measurement
    (John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2023-08-31) Wilson, Oliver W. A.; Thai, Michella; Williams, Lindsay; Nutter, Sarah; Myre, Maxine; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly
    Though anthropometric measurement (AM) frequently occurs in school settings, it is not without risks to child wellbeing. The aim of this scoping review was to examine how AM in school settings takes place and is reported on to make recommendations on best practices. We identified and extracted data from 440 studies published since 2005 that conducted AM in school (pre-school through secondary/high school) settings. Privacy and sensitivity of AM were unclear in over 90% of studies. Thirty-one studies (7.0%) reported protecting student privacy, while nine (2.0%) reported public measurement. Only five studies reported sensitivity regarding AM (1.1%). Exactly who conducted AM was not specified in 201 studies (45.7%). Sixty-nine studies did not provide a weight status criteria citation (19.2%), and 10 used an incorrect citation (2.7%). In summary, serious shortcomings in the reporting of how AM is conducted and by whom, along with details concerning weight status classification, are evident. There is considerable room for improvement regarding the reporting of key methodological details. We propose best practices for AM in school settings, which also double as conditions that should be met before AM takes place in school settings.
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    When the Professional Gets Personal: Teachers’ Experiences of Learning About Weight-Neutral Approaches to School Health Promotion
    (2024-05-22) Williams, Lindsay; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Mudry, Tanya; Danyluk, Patricia
    Health promotion is commonly carried out in schools. While school health promotion may aim to support health in a holistic way, it often reflects a weight-centric approach that places undue emphasis on body weight as the primary focus. As weight-centric approaches to health carry risks for student and teacher health and wellbeing, some schools are adopting a weight-neutral approach that supports health for people of all body sizes. Teachers are at the forefront of the shift to a weight-neutral approach in schools, and as a result, professional learning (PL) initiatives have been developed to help them make this change. Shifting to a weight-neutral approach to health may require significant changes in teachers’ personal beliefs about weight and health, and the personal impact of weight-neutral PL has implications for both teacher wellbeing and teachers’ ability to convey a weight-neutral approach effectively with students. In this qualitative study, I aimed to understand the influence of a PL series about weight-neutral approaches to health on teachers’ personal relationships with their bodies and health. Eleven teachers who completed a weight-neutral PL series were interviewed about their experiences. Reflexive thematic analysis (rTA) of the data revealed that participants became more aware of how their past experiences were shaped by a weight-centric approach to health; experienced a new, more weight-neutral way of relating to their bodies; and conceived of ways to maintain and advocate for a weight-neutral approach to health in the future. These findings are discussed in light of their implications for teacher wellbeing, future weight-neutral PL initiatives, and counselling psychology practice.