Longitudinal 2-Year Follow-up on the Effect of a  Non-Randomised School-Based Physical Activity Intervention on Reducing Overweight and Obesity of Czech Children Aged 10–12 Years

Abstract Introduction The global obesity epidemic has mobilized health services to offer care at all levels, with reference outpatient clinics playing a prominent role in cases of greater complexity. Objectives The present study aimed to identify soft drinks consumption and physical activity habits among children and adolescents diagnosed with overweight and obesity during the first visit at a secondary level nutrology outpatient clinic, and to verify attendance at follow-up visits in a 2-year period from the first visit. Materials and Methods This is a retrospective, descriptive study based on data collection from medical records of overweighted or obese patients receiving first care at the Nutrology Clinic of the Municipal Health Secretariat from Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. The study population included children and adolescents aged between 2 and 18 years old cared for from January 2, 2013 to December 30, 2017. Age, weight, height, soft drinks consumption, physical activity, and attendance in scheduled follow-up visits during a 2-year period were analyzed. Results During the study period, 316 patients were registered, including 302 (95.5%) diagnosed with obesity. Of these, 112 (35.4%) were children and 204 (64.6%) were adolescents. Only 2.0% of the children and adolescents did not consume soft drinks, while 23.5 and 26.2% of the children and adolescents, respectively, consumed them daily. Physical inactivity was reported by 31.8% of the children and by 35.8% of the adolescents. Among those who practiced some type of physical activity, 81.3% of the children and 78.2% of the adolescents did not meet the recommendation of moderate to vigorous activity for 60 minutes per day. Dropout rates within the 1st year were of 41.9% for children and of 34.3% for adolescents, increasing to 76.9% and 73.8%, respectively, within the 2nd year. Conclusion There was a high consumption of soft drinks and low adherence to physical activity among patients who started outpatient follow-up. A small adherence to the follow-up program was also identified, with high dropout rates within the 2-year period following the first visit.

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Body composition outcomes of Healthy Fit and the role of acculturation among low-income Hispanics on the US-Mexico border

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-11015-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Diane I. Lopez ◽

Lauren Chacon ◽

Denise Vasquez ◽

Louis D. Brown

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Body Composition ◽

Nutrition Education ◽

Low Income ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Foreign Born ◽

Exercise Interventions ◽

Mexico Border

Abstract Background Hispanic immigrants continue to experience higher rates of overweight and obesity compared to their non-Hispanic counterparts. Acculturation may contribute to unhealthy weight gain among immigrant populations by shifting dietary patterns from high fruit and vegetable consumption to unhealthier high fat diets. Healthy Fit, a culturally tailored community health worker (CHW) intervention, aims to reduce obesity related outcomes by providing physical activity and nutrition education and resources in a low-income Hispanic population. This study aims to evaluate outcomes of Healthy Fit participants and examine changes in body composition in relation to level of acculturation at baseline and follow-up. Method In this longitudinal observational study, CHWs recruited 514 participants from community events and agencies serving low-income Hispanic populations in El Paso, Texas from 2015 to 2016. Following an in-person health screening, eligible participants received nutrition and physical activity education guided by fotonovelas, comic-like educational books. Telephone follow-ups made at 1, 3, and 6 months by CHWs encouraged follow-through on referrals. 288 participants completed the screening again during the 12-month follow-up. Results The sample was predominantly Hispanic (96%), female (82%), uninsured (79%), had a household income of less than $19,999 (70%), foreign-born (79%), preferred Spanish (86%) and few rated themselves as good or excellent for English proficiency (27%). Overall, Healthy Fit participants significantly improved (i.e., decreased) BFP by 0.71% (t = 2.47, p = 0.01) but not BMI (b = .01, t = − 0.14, p = .89). Contrary to expectations, acculturation was not associated with lower BMI (b = 0.09, p = 0.84) or BFP (b = 0.13, p = 0.85) at baseline. However, acculturation predicted changes in both BMI (b = 0.30, p = 0.03) and BFP (b = 1.33, p = 0 .01) from baseline to follow-up. Specifically, the low acculturation group improved in body composition measures over time and the high acculturation group did not improve in either measure. Conclusion Findings suggest Healthy Fit was most effective among less acculturated individuals. The influence of acculturation on the efficacy of nutrition and exercise interventions suggests that Hispanics should not be treated as a homogenous subgroup.

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A Self-Determined Exploration of Adolescents’ and Parents’ Experiences Derived From a Multidimensional School-Based Physical Activity Intervention

Journal of Teaching in Physical Education ◽

10.1123/jtpe.2020-0130 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Roberto Ferriz ◽

Alejandro Jiménez-Loaisa ◽

David González-Cutre ◽

María Romero-Elías ◽

Vicente J. Beltrán-Carrillo

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Physical Activity Intervention ◽

Leisure Time Physical Activity ◽

Self Determination Theory ◽

Psychological Needs ◽

Basic Psychological Needs ◽

Self Determination ◽

Motivational Strategies ◽

School Based ◽

Parents Experiences

Purpose: Adolescents’ and parents’ experiences within a multidimensional school-based physical activity intervention grounded on self-determination theory were explored. Method: Qualitative data from 29 adolescents (aged 15–17 years) and three parents on behalf of the total students’ families were collected via participant observation (research diary), semistructured interviews, and focus groups. Results: Adolescents perceived that the application of motivational strategies, based on self-determination theory, satisfied their basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness, favored self-determined motivation, and gave rise to adaptive consequences (improved physical activity knowledge, creation of affective bonds, and increased leisure-time physical activity). These results were supported by the information reported by the students’ parents. Discussion/Conclusions: The findings support the implementation of self-determination theory-based multidimensional interventions to promote adolescents’ physical activity participation. This study also presents several motivational strategies which could be useful for the design and implementation of future school-based physical activity interventions.

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