Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
2017
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of South County Food, Fitness and Fun (SCFFF), a 16-week community-based obesity prevention program, on children’s moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), physical fitness, body mass index (BMI), and BMI z-score. A non-randomized pre-test and post-test study design was used to assess changes in MVPA, physical fitness, BMI and BMI z-score from baseline to program end. MVPA was measured by accelerometer, physical fitness measured by Fitnessgram, and height and weight were measured by stadiometer and scale and used to calculate BMI. The analytic sample for this study included 53 children from nine SCFFF programs conducted between 2011-2016. There was a significant increase in the percentage of time children spent participating in MVPA (1.12%; p=0.022), curl-ups (p<0.001) and trunk lifts (p=0.004). BMI z-score decreased (p<0.001). Results reinforce the importance of offering community-based interventions that include caregivers to prevent excess weight gain in children.
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Xu, F., Greaney, M. L., Marchand, S., Corcoran, C., Di Biasio, H., Baruch, J., Riebe, D., & Greene, G. W. (2017). The Impact of a Community-Based Childhood Obesity Prevention Program on Children’s Physical Activity and Fitness. Journal of Physical Activity Research, 2(1), 44-49. doi: 10.12691/jpar-2-1-8
Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.12691/jpar-2-1-8
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comment
Furong Xu, Mary L. Greaney, Jane Baruch and Deborah Riebe are in the Department of Kinesiology.
Geoffrey W. Greene is in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences.