Effect of school-based intervention program for children with obesity: A randomized control trial

INTRODUCTION: Obesity in childhood is a major health issue that is seen in both developed and developing countries. Childhood obesity is associated with high risk of adulthood obesity and a series of health problems such as insulin resistance, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, type II diabetes mellitus, sleep apnea, and psychosocial problems. With the social development and changes in lifestyles, currently children and adolescents are lacking physical activity.METHODOLOGY: This study was a randomized control trial. One thousand one hundred and sixty-five students were screened aged 6–12 years. Among the screened children, 32 obese children were recruited in the study and randomly allocated into Groups A (n = 16) and B (n = 16). Group A received structured school-based physical activity intervention and Group B received physical activity of child's choice of 45 min for 6 days/week for 4 weeks in addition to health education.RESULTS: The mean age difference of the participants between the Groups A and B was 0.12 ± 0.08 years. There were significant changes in weight, body mass index (BMI), and skinfold thickness scores. The mean difference in weight, BMI, and skinfold thickness between the group was 0.43 ± 1.17, 1.1 ± 0.46, and 6.61 ± 3.29, respectively.CONCLUSION: The present study concluded that both the types of school-based physical activity interventions are equally effective in reducing weight, BMI, and skinfold thickness scores. However, structured physical activity showed a better reduction in mean weight at the end of 2 weeks of intervention and nonstructured physical activity showed a better reduction in mean weight at 4 weeks of intervention.