Background/Aims: To examine the effects of a 3-month multidisciplinary intervention on anthropometric measures, physical activity patterns and fitness, inflammatory cytokines, adipocytokines, and growth mediators in obese children. Methods: 21 obese subjects completed the 3-month intervention and were compared with 20 age-, gender- and maturity-matched controls. Subjects underwent anthropometric measurements (weight, height, BMI percentile and waist circumference), blood tests (IL-6, CRP, leptin, adiponectin, insulin, IGF-I and glucose), a progressive treadmill exercise test to evaluate fitness, and habitual activity assessment before and after the intervention. Results: The intervention led to a significant change of differences in body weight (-1.3 ± 4.1 vs. 2.5 ± 3.3 kg), BMI percentile (-0.96 ± 1.29 vs. 0.19 ± 0.8), waist circumference (-2.1 ± 2.7 vs. 2.9 ± 3.0 cm) and running time (149.9 ± 86.3 vs. -8.2 ± 88.0 s) in the intervention compared to control. There was a significant increase in leisure-time physical activity (Godin questionnaire, 29.04 ± 6.8 vs. -1.3 ± 9.2) and a decrease in sedentary activity (-1.4 ± 0.73 vs. 0.02 ± 0.62 h/day) in the intervention compared to control. Significant change differences in adiponectin (2,308 ± 1,640 vs. -801 ± 465 ng/ml), IGF-I (33.8 ± 37.8 vs. -1.0 ± 36.2 ng/ml), CRP (-0.06 ± 0.29 vs. 0.5 ± 0.86 mg/dl) and HOMA-IR (-0.15 ± 0.57 vs. 0.55 ± 0.84) were found in the intervention group compared to control. Conclusions: Our results highlight the short-term beneficial effects of a childhood obesity multidisciplinary intervention on anthropometrics, habitual activity, fitness, inflammatory and metabolic measures. The longer-term effects of these changes on obesity-associated metabolic risks are yet to be determined.

Background: Obesity is the most common chronic pediatric disease in westernized societies, with minorities and children from low socioeconomic status being mostly affected. Arab-Israelis are the largest minority population in Israel. Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence of obesity and to prospectively study the effects of a health promotion, school-based intervention on nutrition and physical activity knowledge and preferences, anthropometric measures, and fi tness in Arab-Israeli kindergarten children. Participants: One hundred fi fty-four children completed a school year with combined dietary-behavioral-physical activity intervention and were compared with 188 controls (age 4.2 -6.5 years). Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among Arab-Israeli kindergarten children was 28.9 % . Compared with control, the intervention led to a signifi cantly greater (control vs. intervention, respectively, p < 0.05) increase in nutrition knowledge (51.2 ± 1.5 % -48.9 ± 1.6 % vs. 48.9 ± 1.6 % -85.9 ± 1.4 % ) and preferences (47.4 ± 1.5 % -47.7 ± 1.6 % vs. 45.2 ± 1.8 % -87.1 ± 1.4 % ), increase in physical activity knowledge (47.2 ± 1.3 % -47.0 ± 1.7 % vs. 49.2 ± 1.7 % -90.8 ± 1.3 % ) and preferences (52.3 ± 1.3 % -54.2 ± 1.8 % vs. 56.2 ± 1.4 % -92.8 ± 1.0 % ), and improvement in fi tness ( -10.2 ± 1.6 vs. 11.6 ± 1.4 shuttle run laps). The intervention was associated with favorable changes in height gain (5.0 ± 0.1 vs. 6.2 ± 0.1 cm), body mass index (BMI -0.41 ± 0.06 vs. -0.71 ± 0.06 kg/m 2 ) and BMI percentile ( -10.0 ± 1.3 % vs. -16.2 ± 1.2 % ) in the control and intervention groups, respectively. Conclusions: A kindergarten dietary-physical activity intervention applied by the kindergarten teachers led to a decrease in BMI, BMI percentile, improved nutrition and physical activity knowledge and preferences, and improved fi tness. Such programs may play important role in health promotion, prevention, and treatment of childhood obesity in minority communities from early age.

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.