Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

A Legitimate or an Ilegitimate problem? : How School Nurses Establish a Logic of Distinctions among Children who are Overeweight or Suffer from Obesity

Nilsson, Gabriella LU orcid (2015) In Ethnologia Europaea 45(1). p.25-41
Abstract
Overweight and obesity among children has gained increased attention as one of the most unequally distributed health problems. This article draws on interviews with school nurses, who in their daily work handle this problem. Their responses articulate a discrepancy between the general view on overweight and obesity as a “disaster” for the afflicted children and the practice of turning "a blind eye” to specific cases. The aim is to examine how the school nurses in their dealing with the problem handle this discrepancy and make it logical. It is argued that a distinction between “legitimate” and “illegitimate” is apparent in the school nurses’ understanding of overweight and obesity. This distinction depends on how they, in moral terms,... (More)
Overweight and obesity among children has gained increased attention as one of the most unequally distributed health problems. This article draws on interviews with school nurses, who in their daily work handle this problem. Their responses articulate a discrepancy between the general view on overweight and obesity as a “disaster” for the afflicted children and the practice of turning "a blind eye” to specific cases. The aim is to examine how the school nurses in their dealing with the problem handle this discrepancy and make it logical. It is argued that a distinction between “legitimate” and “illegitimate” is apparent in the school nurses’ understanding of overweight and obesity. This distinction depends on how they, in moral terms, categorize foods and habits, children and parents. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
overweight and obesity, children, school nurses, moral balancing, the morality of time
in
Ethnologia Europaea
volume
45
issue
1
pages
25 - 41
publisher
Open Library of Humanities
external identifiers
  • scopus:85041367433
ISSN
1604-3030
DOI
10.16995/ee.1136
project
The relationship between socio-economic determinants of ill-health and child obesity. A qualitative, cultural analytical study.
Medical humanities research node
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
ed9feb02-e654-44b8-a43a-eb6487bfeba9 (old id 5470741)
alternative location
https://www.mtp.dk/cgibin/PDFmedopenaccess/Ethnologia_Europae_45_1_9788763543569.pdf
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:51:18
date last changed
2022-01-27 21:27:18
@article{ed9feb02-e654-44b8-a43a-eb6487bfeba9,
  abstract     = {{Overweight and obesity among children has gained increased attention as one of the most unequally distributed health problems. This article draws on interviews with school nurses, who in their daily work handle this problem. Their responses articulate a discrepancy between the general view on overweight and obesity as a “disaster” for the afflicted children and the practice of turning "a blind eye” to specific cases. The aim is to examine how the school nurses in their dealing with the problem handle this discrepancy and make it logical. It is argued that a distinction between “legitimate” and “illegitimate” is apparent in the school nurses’ understanding of overweight and obesity. This distinction depends on how they, in moral terms, categorize foods and habits, children and parents.}},
  author       = {{Nilsson, Gabriella}},
  issn         = {{1604-3030}},
  keywords     = {{overweight and obesity; children; school nurses; moral balancing; the morality of time}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{25--41}},
  publisher    = {{Open Library of Humanities}},
  series       = {{Ethnologia Europaea}},
  title        = {{A Legitimate or an Ilegitimate problem? : How School Nurses Establish a Logic of Distinctions among Children who are Overeweight or Suffer from Obesity}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.16995/ee.1136}},
  doi          = {{10.16995/ee.1136}},
  volume       = {{45}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}