Nutrition and Physical Activity Counselling

Efficacy of Nutrition and Physical Activity Counselling for Pre-adolescent Children in a Dental Setting: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Childhood obesity imposes a great burden on the healthcare system. Given the increased frequency of dental compared to medical visits during childhood, dentists may be in an ideal position to recognize patients at risk of developing obesity. This randomized clinical trial explored the efficacy of a brief nutrition and physical activity counseling for healthy weight 6 to11 year-old children in a university-based pediatric dental clinic. Methods: 168 children, 6-11 year old, were allocated to test and control groups and their Body Mass index (BMI) were recorded. Their parents/caregivers completed a questionnaire regarding their child's nutrition, physical activity and screen time. The parents/caregivers of the test group then received a brief counseling session that encouraged an increase in children's physical activity, and a decrease in sugar-sweetened beverages and screen time. Data, collected at baseline and follow-up session (within 6-12 months) were analyzed using general linear regression, adjusting for age, gender, socio-demographic characteristics, education, labour force, income and awareness of school nutrition policy (P≤ 0.05).

To ensure that both groups benefited equally from the study, the control group received the counselling and the handouts at the end of the study.

A brief (5-10 minute) counseling session for caregivers of the intervention group aimed to encourage an increase in the child's physical activity and decrease sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and screen time. Additionally, the caregivers of the intervention group were provided with the following handouts: five steps to a healthy body weight for teens; beverages; physical activity tips for children 5-11 years; Canadian physical activity guidelines for children 5-11; and Canadian sedentary behavior guidelines for children 5-11.

Inclusion Criteria: healthy 6 to 11 years old Exclusion Criteria: Younger or older children those with systemic diseases (such as diabetes, cardiac problems, dyslipidemia, elevated cholesterol, obstructive sleep apnea, stroke, fatty liver disease, osteoarthritis, orthopedic problems and any forms of cancer) Children and their accompanying parents or caregivers (hereafter, caregivers) unable to communicate in English if caregivers were unreachable after three attempts by phone

Azarpazhooh A, Sekhavat A, Sigal MJ. Validity of a simplified screening instrument for assessing overweight children in a dental setting: a cross sectional study. BMC Pediatr. 2017 Feb 17;17(1):56. doi: 10.1186/s12887-017-0808-x.