Suchergebnisse

AbstractBackgroundYouth with intellectual disabilities are more likely to be an unhealthy weight and less physically active than youth without intellectual disability.ObjectiveThe effects of Fit2Play, a park‐based afterschool programme on cardiovascular/fitness health outcomes among youth with intellectual disability, were prospectively assessed.MethodsYouth ages 6 to 22 with intellectual disability who participated in Fit2Play for either one or two school years between 2010 and 2016 (N = 297, mean age 14.1 years, 70% Hispanic, 20% non‐Hispanic black, 72% male) were examined via a fitness battery at the beginning/end of the school year(s). Effects of length of Fit2Play participation on body mass index (BMI) %ile, skinfold thicknesses, systolic/diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) %iles, fitness tests, and health and wellness knowledge) were evaluated via two‐level repeated measures analysis adjusted for child gender, age, ethnicity and area‐level poverty.ResultsAdjusted models showed that up to two years of Fit2Play participation was significantly associated with improved BMI %ile, skinfold thicknesses, SPB/DBP %iles and PACER scores (p < 0.05 for all). One and two years of programme participation was associated with a 6% [95% CI: 0.92, 0.96] and 10% [95% CI: 0.87, 0.93] reduction in SBP%ile, respectively (p < 0.001), and a 36% [95% CI: 1.28, 1.45] and 57% [95% CI: 1.44, 1.70] increase in PACER score laps, respectively, compared to baseline.ConclusionsResults here suggest that park‐based, structured afterschool programmes with a focus on health and wellness can be a rich resource for this nation by offering both exclusive and immersion programmes for children with intellectual disability to foster cardiovascular health in all youth.

Purpose: To assess the impact of an early childhood obesity prevention intervention "Healthy Caregivers–Healthy Children" (HC2) on dietary patterns and body mass index percentile (PBMI) over 2 school years. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Childcare centers. Participants: Low-income families. Intervention: Intervention centers (N = 12) received HC2 which consisted of (1) menu modifications, (2) a healthy eating and physical activity curriculum for children, and (3) a parent curriculum for healthy meal preparation, reinforced through a role-modeling curriculum. Control centers (N = 16) received an injury prevention/safety intervention. Measures: Child PBMI and parent report of child's consumption of fruits/vegetables and unhealthy food. Analysis: Confirmatory factor analysis verified the psychometric properties of factor scores for children's consumption of fruits/vegetables and unhealthy food. Growth curve analysis assessed the impact of HC2 on change in consumption of fruits/vegetables and unhealthy food and PBMI over 2 school years. Results: Children in the intervention group (n = 754) had a negative slope (β = −1.95, standard error [SE] = 0.97, P = .04), indicating less increase in PBMI versus control children (n = 457). Stratified analyses showed that obese children in the intervention arm had a significantly higher increase in fruit/vegetable consumption versus control group obese children (β = 0.24, SE = 0.08, P = .003). Conclusion: The HC2 intervention resulted in the maintenance of healthy PBMI over 2 preschool years among low-income multiethnic children. These findings support efforts to implement healthy weight programs in the childcare setting.

Purpose. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a structured after-school program housed in a large county parks system on participant health and wellness outcomes. Design. Longitudinal cohort study over one school year (fall 2011-spring 2012). Setting. A total of 23 county parks in Florida. Subjects. Children ages 5 to 16 (N= 349, 55% non-Hispanic black, 40% Hispanic, mean age 8.9 years). Intervention. An after-school program called Fit-2-Play that integrates daily standardized physical activity and health and wellness education components. Measures. Preintervention (August/September 2011) and postintervention (May/June 2012) anthropometric, systolic/diastolic blood pressure, fitness, and health and wellness knowledge measurements were collected. Analysis. Comparison of pre-post outcome measure means were assessed via general linear mixed models for normal-weight (body mass index [BMI] < 85th percentile for age and sex) and overweight/obese (BMI ≥85th percentile for age and sex) participants. Results. The overweight/obese group significantly decreased their mean (1) BMI z score (2.0 to 1.8, p < .01) and (2) subscapular skinfold measurements (19.4 to 17.5 mm, p < .01) and increased (1) mean laps on the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run test (10.8 to 12.5, p = .04) and (2) percentage with normal systolic blood pressure (58.1% to 71.0%, p = .03) from pretest to posttest. On average, participants significantly improved their health and wellness knowledge over the school year (p < .01). Normal-weight participants maintained healthy BMI ranges and significantly increased fitness levels. Conclusion. Findings suggest that the Fit-2-Play after-school programs can be a significant resource for combating childhood obesity and instilling positive physical health in children, particularly among ethnic and socioeconomically diverse communities.