Family-based Nutrition Education
Overweight is an endemic public health concern for children, adolescents, and adults. Reducing the prevalence of childhood overweight is a national health objective and nine million U.S. children, currently classified as overweight, require effective nutrition education and physical activity promotion services. The intent of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a family-based nutrition education and physical activity promotion program, Lifelong Eating and Activity Patterns (LEAP), as an effective approach for the prevention and treatment of child overweight. The study design was an eight-week intervention and participant files were analyzed retrospectively to ascertain information for the study variables. The main outcome measures were changes in body mass index (BMI), percent body fat, fitness level, and eating and activity behaviors for child and parent participants. Qualitative data gathered from an exit survey for both children and parents were used to assess perceived benefits, value, and effectiveness of the program. Participants included 107 boys (n=48) and girls (n=59) ages 7-14, mean age 10.6 years, and their accompanying parents. The child participants were either “at risk for overweight” (3%) or “overweight” (97%). The results showed a significant decrease in BMI for both child and parent participants and percent body fat for child participants. There was a significant increase in reported fruit and vegetable consumption, regular physical activity, and in fitness parameters for both child and parent participants. The qualitative exit survey results indicated that the LEAP program resulted in significant improvements in knowledge, attitude, and behavior. In conclusion, this family-based nutrition education and physical activity promotion program was effective in decreasing BMI and body fat, increasing fitness level, and eliciting positive changes in eating and activity attitudes and behavior in both child and parent participants.
Introduction
Overweight is an endemic public health concern for all ages in the United States and worldwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines pediatric overweight as a sex-specific body mass index (BMI)-for-age at or above the 95th percentile and adult obesity as a BMI of 30-39.9 (CDC, 2004). Prevalence of pediatric overweight and adult obesity tripled in the United States between 1980 and 2000 (Daniels, Arnett, Eckel, Gidding, Hayman, Kumanyika, et al, 2005) and approximately 10% of children worldwide are classified as overweight (Lobstein, Baur, & Uauy, 2004). The most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 1999-2002) indicated that the U.S. prevalence of overweight for children 6- to 19-years of age was 16% while 30% of adults 20-years of age and older were obese (Hedley, Ogden, Johnson, Carroll, Curtin, & Flegal, 2004). Together with the increased prevalence of childhood overweight in the past three decades there has been a concomitant increase in the extent by which 2- to 19-year-old boys and girls exceed the overweight threshold (95th percentile) (Joliffe, 2004). Not only are more children becoming overweight, they are heavier then ever before.