Importancia del proceso en la evaluación de la efectividad de una intervención sobre obesidad infantil

Abstract

The prevention of childhood obesity is one of the greatest public health challenges of modern times. This has triggered the generation of a wealth of scientific evidence, culminating in a body of knowledge concerning the essential components of campaigns implemented in the school setting. In this regard, a growing trend towards the evaluation of research results in terms of effectiveness has become apparent, while the fieldwork itself very rarely comes under the spotlight. By considering the implementation process description of a multicomponent campaign designed to prevent childhood obesity in boys and girls in the 3 year of primary education in Spain (9-10 years of age), the aim of this paper is to influence the elements of this process by considering important aspects pertaining to its implementation, such as its plausibility and feasibility in the particular context.

A Multimodal Intervention for Prevention of Overweight and Obesity in Schoolchildren. A Protocol Study “PREVIENE-CÁDIZ”

“…These questionnaires have been adapted from the study "Previene" [Prevent] carried out in Granada [10] and the study "Prevention of childhood obesity in Barcelona" (POIBA) carried out in Barcelona [38], since our project is based on the experiences of these previous studies. The results of the study carried out in Granada have not yet been published, so it is not yet known whether the intervention was effective or not.…”

“…Physical activity and screen time will be recorded by means of a self-report by the schoolchildren (S3) and observation of the parents using a built-in questionnaire (S4) from the one used in the "Previene" [Prevent] study in Granada [10]. Information will be collected on the amount of physical activity and screen time (TV, computer, video games .…”

“…The daily/weekly consumption of processed baked goods, fried foods, snacks, sugary soft drinks, fruits, vegetables, packaged juices, sandwiches, dairy products, carbohydrates, meat, cold cuts, fish, and vegetables, among others, will be recorded through questionnaires [10] applied to schoolchildren (S2) and family members (S4) both before and after the intervention. In addition, the knowledge/beliefs about food and diet of schoolchildren and relatives, and the use of the school canteen and its evaluation [10] will be assessed. Schoolchildren will answer questions about all of these variables about themselves, and parents will answer both about themselves and about their children.…”

“…Schoolchildren's daily hours of sleep, both for Monday to Friday as well as for weekends, will be recorded through questionnaires (S3 and S4) adapted from those used in the "Previene" [Prevent] study in Granada [10]. Parents will be asked about their children before and after the intervention.…”

“…Within Spain, the province of Cádiz (Southwest) has the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity (35% children aged 6-12 years) compared to the rest of Spain, which constitutes a serious health problem in the province that has been increasing in recent years [9]. Researchers from the Andalusian School of Public Health [10] reported a similar prevalence of overweight and obesity (37%) in children aged 8-9 years in Granada (Southeast Spain). This data confirms the need to develop and reinforce public health policies that reduce these numbers.…”