Suchergebnisse

Purpose. To assess changes in children's health behaviors and weight status after participation in community-originated interventions. Design. Prospective cohort study following body mass index (BMI) z-score trajectory over time. Setting. Schools and community settings in 19 locations in North Carolina. Subjects. A total of 1144 children, with an average age of 9.5 years, participating in community-originated physical activity and nutrition interventions, such as active recess and healthy cafeteria offerings, and environment and policy changes designed to prevent and reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity. Retention from baseline to final collection was 54%. Measures. Self-reported physical activity and eating behaviors; measured height and weight were collected at baseline and after interventions (average of 20 months). Z-score was compared with expected growth without intervention. Analysis. Descriptive statistics, χ2 tests and t-tests, and ANOVA analyses of variance to assess changes in health behaviors and weight status. Results. More than 11% of children improved their weight status, and 86% of children who began at a healthy weight remained there. The average BMI for children who were overweight at enrollment was significantly lower after intervention (1.1 kg/m2 lower for boys and 0.88 kg/m2 lower for girls). Overweight and obese children who made improvements in key health behaviors showed greater decreases in BMI z-score than those who did not improve those behaviors (increased fruit [−.2207 vs. −.0793] and vegetable [−.2215 vs. −.0855] intake, and drinking less soda [−.1985 vs. −.0912]). There were no significant increases in physical activity, and changes in physical activity were not related to decreases in BMI z-score in this study. Conclusion. Community-originated interventions to raise awareness about food choices and to change policies and environments may improve BMI z-scores.

Purpose.To ascertain the effectiveness of a behavior-change weight management program offered to teachers and state employees in North Carolina (NC).Design.Fifteen-week weight management program with premeasures and postmeasures.Setting.State agencies and public K-12 schools in five NC counties.Subjects.A total of 2574 NC state employees enrolled in 141 classes.Intervention.Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less (ESMMWL) is a 15-week weight management program delivered by trained instructors. Lessons inform, empower, and motivate participants to live mindfully as they make choices about eating and physical activity.Measures.Height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure, confidence in ability to eat healthy and be physically active, changes in eating, and physical activity behaviors.Analysis.Descriptive statistics, t-tests, χ2tests, and analyses of variance.Results.Data are reported for 1341 participants in ESMMWL who completed the program, submitted an evaluation, and had not participated in the program in the past; 89% were female and mean age was 48.8 years. Average BMI and waist circumference decreased significantly. Confidence in eating healthfully and being physically active increased significantly. The percentage of participants with a BMI < 30 kg/m2increased from 40% to 45% and those with a normal blood pressure increased from 23% to 32.5%. Participants reported being more mindful of what and how much they ate (92%), being more mindful of how much daily physical activity they got (88%), and eating fewer calories (87.3%).Conclusion.This project demonstrated the feasibility of implementing a behavior change–based weight management program at the worksite to achieve positive outcomes related to weight, blood pressure, healthy eating, and physical activity behaviors. Programs such as this have the potential to provide health care cost savings.