Improving weight status in childhood: results from the eat well be active community programs

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2013

Authors

Pettman, T.
Magarey, A.
Mastersson, N.
Wilson, A.M.
Dollman, J.

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Journal article

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International Journal of Public Health, 2013; 59(1):43-50

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Objectives: The eat well be active Community Programs (ewba) aimed to prevent obesity among children aged 0–18 years in two Australian communities from 2006 to 2010. Methods: ewba was a multi-strategy intervention in children's settings. The evaluation was quasi-experimental, including a before and after survey with intervention (INT) and non-randomised comparison (COMP) communities. Outcome measures included BMI-z score (zBMI) and overweight/obesity prevalence in children aged 4-5 years; and zBMI, waist circumference (WC) z-score and overweight/ obesity prevalence in children aged 10-12 years. Results: After 3 years, among the 4–5 years old, mean zBMI was significantly lower in both INT (−0.20, p < 0.05) and COMP (−0.15, p < 0.05), however, changes were not significantly different between INT and COMP. There was a larger reduction in overweight/obesity prevalence in INT (−6.3 %) compared to COMP (−3.7 %) (p < 0.05, χ 2 test). In the 10–12 years old, mean zBMI did not change significantly in INT or COMP. There was a significant reduction in WC z-score in INT (−0.17, p < 0.05) but not in COMP (−0.10, p = NS), although not significantly different between INT and COMP (p = 0.092). Conclusions: These findings suggest that the ewba community intervention had a moderate impact, showing modest improvements in weight status at 3-year follow-up.

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Link to a related website: https://dspace.flinders.edu.au/xmlui/bitstream/2328/35819/1/Pettman%20Improving%202014.pdf, Open Access via Unpaywall

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Copyright 2013 Swiss School of Public Health

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