Abstract
Childhood obesity is a critical and growing public health crisis across the world, with implications ranging from the development of noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, which has been especially revelant in recent months due to the associated risk with COVID-19 recovery, to psychosocial consequences such as low self-esteem. Habits pertaining to diet and exercise may affect a child’s risk of becoming obese, with consumption of processed foods or a lack of physical exercise as risk factors. The objective of this study was to implement a school-based progam in two cities in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, with the goal of preventing the development of childhood obesity through building life skills, gaining knowledge, and reducing psychosocial barriers to adopting a healthier lifestyle. Teachers were trained in workshops which prepared them to facilitate life skills, reduce psychosocial barriers and disseminate information through interactive activities with their fourth and fifth grade students, as well as engage in conferences with parents to review similar content regarding healthy practices. Results showed a statistically significant increase in the teacher’s role as a health promoter in the classroom, compared with a no treatment group (F1,74=4,302, p=0.042, η2=0.57), an increase in knowledge about diabetes and health care, as well as increased capability in taking care of their own diet (F1,74=6.103, p=0.006, η2=0.937). Students’ results in the treatment group showed a significant effect in knowledge about the healthy portion size of various types of food including the importance of daily consumption of vegetables (F1,1596=4.033, p=0.045), a significant decrease in consumption of junk food and sodas (F1, 1593=7.074, p=0.008), and a significant decrease in drinking soda (F1,1593=6.618, p=0.010), compared with a no treatment group. Parents increased their knowledge of maintaining healthy eating habits and the importance of exercise as well as their self confidence to promote healthy habits in the family. These results demonstrate the success of the implementation of this comprehensive model based on life skills and intrinsic empowerment in encouraging behaviors as well as emotional and physical habits that reduce risk of childhood obesity, although long-term tracking of indicators such as body mass index (BMI) are needed to determine the efficacy of the program over an extended period of time.
Highlights
The program was based on the Framework for Developing Empowerment (FrEE), which postulated that the development of life skills, along with the reduction of psychosocial barriers and the acquisition of specific knowledge, lays the foundation for a change of attitudes and behaviors that result in people having greater control over their life in general and their health in particular
Self-efficacy towards healthy eating for children Treatment group Self-efficacy towards own physical activity Treatment group Self-efficacy towards physical activity for children Treatment group. Both knowledge and comprehension of nutrition, healthy eating habits, maintaining a balanced diet, body awareness in relation to food, physical exercise, and risks and diseases associated with obesity were increased in students who participated in the program
The results of this study demonstrate that school-based interventions focusing on preventing childhood obesity need to include components on life skills and the reduction of psychosocial barriers, considering the cultural context and involvement of parents and teachers
Summary
Habits and attitudes regarding the quality of food ingested and the meaning of being healthy have had an impact on increased numbers of children who are overweight and obese, with the consumption of processed foods, excessive portions, and a lack of physical exercise putting many adolescents at high risk of developing diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other weightrelated illnesses, demonstrating the necessity of implementing comprehensive and effective prevention programs from an early age [4] In addition to these physical health risks, obesity may lead to psychosocial consequences such as lower self-esteem, a higher likelihood of being bullied, poorer academic achievement, and poorer employment prospects as an adult, further demonstrating a need for prevention [5].
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