Abstract
BackgroundObesity is the most common chronic pediatric disease in westernized, especially low socioeconomic societies. We previously demonstrated the beneficial effects of a randomized prospective school-based health education program for low socioeconomic status Arab-Israeli kindergarten children.MethodsTo examine whether the effects of our program on nutrition and physical activity knowledge and preferences, anthropometric measures, and fitness persisted one year after the end of intervention.We were able to perform the one year follow-up in 203 kindergarten children (59% of our 342 original cohort; 85 control, 118 intervention).ResultsAt one year following the intervention BMI and BMI percentiles approached baseline level in both the intervention (16.4±0.2 kg/m2 and 61.5±2.4%, respectively) and control group participants (16.5±0.2 kg/m2 and 58.5±3.3%, respectively). Yet, a year after the end of the intervention, the decrease in BMI%ile from baseline was significantly greater in the intervention group (-7.8±1.5 vs. -1.9±1.9, p<0.012). Nutritional and physical activity knowledge and preferences, and physical fitness remained significantly elevated in the intervention compared to the control group participants.ConclusionsThe beneficial effects of a kindergarten dietary-physical activity intervention applied by the kindergarten teachers, on nutrition and physical activity knowledge and preferences, fitness, and BMI percentile were evident one year after the end of intervention. This promising program may play a role in health promotion, prevention and treatment of childhood obesity.
Highlights
Obesity is the most common chronic pediatric disease in westernized, especially low socioeconomic societies
We recently reported the high prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity (29%), and the favorable effects of a combined nutritional-physical activity health education programs on nutritional and physical activity knowledge and preferences, physical fitness and Body mass index (BMI) percentiles in low socioeconomic status, Arab-Israeli kindergarten children [10]
No significant differences in age, gender, BMI, nutritional and physical activity knowledge and preferences were found between groups prior to the health promotion intervention (Table 1)
Summary
Obesity is the most common chronic pediatric disease in westernized, especially low socioeconomic societies. Childhood obesity is increasing in westernized societies, with a higher prevalence in minorities and low socioeconomic status groups [1]. A similar trend of higher prevalence rate of kindergarten overweight and obesity among low socioeconomic and minority communities was reported in the USA [3] and Israel [4,5]. Relatively few childhood obesity school-based preventive and therapeutic programs were reported [7], especially in the elementary and preschool children, showing a promising 10% reduction in the number of overweight children [8]. A recent Cochrane review emphasized the lack of pre-school childhood obesity preventive and therapeutic interventions [9]
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