Article Text

Download PDFPDF
The feasibility of a home-based moderate-intensity physical activity intervention in obese children and adolescents

Abstract

Objectives To explore the feasibility of conducting a 10-week home-based physical activity (PA) programme and evaluate the changes in insulin sensitivity (SI) commensurate with the programme in obese young people.

Design Open-labelled intervention.

Setting Home-based intervention with clinical assessments at a tertiary paediatric hospital.

Subjects 18 obese (body mass index (BMI)>International Obesity Task Force age and sex-specific cut-offs) children and adolescents (8–18 years, 11 girls/7 boys) were recruited. 15 participants (nine girls/six boys, mean±SE age 11.8±0.6 years, BMI-SD scores (BMI-SDS) 3.5±0.1, six prepubertal/nine pubertal) completed the intervention.

Intervention The programme comprised biweekly home visits over 10 weeks with personalised plans implemented aiming to increase moderate-intensity PA. Pedometers and PA diaries were used as self-monitoring tools. The goals were to (1) teach participants behavioural skills related to adopting and maintaining an active lifestyle and (2) increase daily participation in PA.

Outcome measures Mean steps/day were assessed. SI assessed by the frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test and other components of the insulin resistance syndrome were measured.

Results Mean steps/day increased significantly from 10 363±927 (baseline) to 13 013±1131 (week 10) (p<0.05). SI was also significantly increased, despite no change in BMI-SDS, and remained so after an additional 10-week follow-up.

Conclusions The results suggest that such a home-based PA programme is feasible. SI improved without changes in BMI-SDS. More rigorous evaluations of such programmes are warranted.

Statistics from Altmetric.com

Request Permissions

If you wish to reuse any or all of this article please use the link below which will take you to the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. You will be able to get a quick price and instant permission to reuse the content in many different ways.