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How One of our Nation's Greatest Resources Can Help Children Maintain Healthy Weight and Cardiovascular Fitness: It Starts in the Parks!
Methods. Children ages 5-14 (N=1,121) who participated in a park-based (N=34) afterschool health/wellness program from 2010-2014 had height, weight, 4-site skinfold thicknesses, systolic/diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP), fitness tests, and a 9-item health/wellness knowledge test collected at the beginning and end of the school year. Comparison of pre/post school year outcome measure means were assessed via general linear mixed models for normal weight (body mass index [BMI] < 85th %-ile for age and sex) and overweight/obese (BMI > 85th %-ile for age and sex) participants.
Results. The overweight/obese group significantly decreased their mean (1) BMI z score (2.0 to 1.8, p<0.01) and (2) subscapular skinfold measurement (19.4 mm to 17.5 mm, p<0.01) while the normal weight group maintained a healthy weight. Both weight groups significantly improved mean number of sit-ups, push-ups and 400 meter run time (P< 0.001 for all). Mean SBP/DBP significantly decreased among overweight/obese participants (119.2 to 116.5 mm Hg; p<0.01; 72.0 mm Hg to 69.5 mm Hg, p<0.01, respectively). Mean health/wellness knowledge scores significantly improved for all participants (p<0.001 for 9-item composite score).
Conclusions. These findings suggest that parks-based afterschool health/wellness programs can be an integral component of a systemic, comprehensive prescription for health when combined with strategic policy initiatives for a healthier community.
Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and preventionConduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Public health or related research
Learning Objectives:
Identify barriers to the childhood obesity epidemic in local, regional and national settings.
Describe the local, regional and national need for the work described in this presentation.
Identify key components of a parks-based afterschool program that can instill healthy weight and fitness in child participants.
Keyword(s): Weight Management, Adolescents
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have focused my career on childhood and adolescent obesity prevention and treatment. My research focuses on (1) perinatal exposures as risk factors for childhood-onset obesity and cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in early adulthood; (2) developing and testing family-based obesity prevention interventions among Hispanic families; (3) obesity prevention in the preschool settings; and (4) using the park setting as a health and wellness resource for families.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.