Effects of the Healthy Children, Healthy Families, Healthy Communities Program for Obesity Prevention among Vulnerable Children: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: We aimed to examine whether the Healthy Children, Healthy Families, and Healthy Communities Program, consisting of multi-level strategies for obesity prevention tailoring the context of socioeconomically vulnerable children based on an ecological perspective, would be effective on improving their healthy lifestyle behaviors and obesity status. Methods: Participants were 104 children (and 59 parents) enrolled in public welfare systems in Seoul, South Korea. Based on a cluster-randomized controlled trial (no. ISRCTN11347525), eight centers were randomly assigned to intervention (four centers, 49 children, 27 parents) versus control groups (four centers, 55 children, 32 parents). Multi-level interventions of child-, parent-, and center-level strategies were conducted for 12 weeks. Children’s healthy lifestyle behaviors and obesity status were assessed as daily recommended levels and body mass index ≥85th percentile, respectively. Parents’ parenting behaviors were measured by the Family Nutrition and Physical Activity scale. Results: Compared to the control group, the intervention group showed significant improvements in total composite scores of healthy-lifestyle behaviors—including 60-min of moderate physical activity—but not in obesity status among children. Moreover, the intervention group showed significant improvements in parenting behaviors among parents. Conclusion: The multi-level strategies for obesity prevention based on an ecological perspective may be effective for promoting healthy lifestyles among socioeconomically vulnerable children.

Associations of socioeconomic status, parenting style, and grit with health behaviors in children using data from the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC)

“…Physical activity was measured as the average number of days that children engaged in indoor or outdoor activities for at least 30 minutes daily. The recommendation level for sedentary behavior is defined as limiting screen time to less than 2 hours per day on weekdays; children were categorized as meeting this recommendation (coded as "1") or not meeting it (coded as "0") [22].…”

The range of outcomes and outcome measurement instruments collected in multisectoral community‐based obesity prevention interventions in children: A systematic review

“…After full‐text screening, an additional 37 studies were identified. These included 20 studies 5,70–88 reporting 12 additional interventions and 17 studies 89–105 reporting outcomes from the interventions included in the review by Karacabeyli et al but those published after July 2017. The search of the clinical trial registries, the gray literature, and reference lists of included studies identified an additional 32 studies for inclusion in our review (Figure 1).…”

Programas de promoção de estilo de vida saudável em contexto de saúde escolar: scoping review

“…3 articles were included from Asia: 1 from Israel (24) , 1 from China (25) and 1 from South Korea (26) . We did not obtain any publication from Portugal.…”