Active clinical trials for "Pediatric Obesity"

The ToyBox proposal addresses Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy (KBBE)-2009-2-1-03 - Behavioural models for prevention of obesity, with a particular focus on children. It will primary aim to influence children's behaviours and prevent obesity in early childhood. The proposal will identify key behaviours related to early childhood obesity and their determinants and evaluate behavioural models and educational strategies. Based on the obtained insights at a local level, a multidisciplinary team will develop and implement a school based family involved intervention programme that could be applied on a European scale. Process, impact, outcome and cost-effectiveness evaluation will be conducted to support decision making for European Public Health Policy. The combined use of Precede-Proceed Model and Intervention Mapping will provide the framework for the development, implementation and evaluation of the ToyBox intervention. To achieve this, the project will be subdivided into 10 Work Packages (WPs). This carefully planned stepwise approach will include systematic reviews, secondary analyses of existing data sets, focus group research and school policies overview. The ToyBox project consortium spans the necessary multidisciplinary variety of experts such as public health experts, epidemiologists, nutritionists, physical activity experts, pedagogists, psychologists, behavioural scientists, nutritionists, paediatricians, early childhood psychologists, health economists, totalling 15 partners, from 10 countries. The consortium, consists of 11 universities, 1 research institute, 2 advocacy groups and a small to medium enterprise (SME) representing all regions of Europe. The consortium has ample experience in conducting and coordinating multi-centre international research as well as undertaking dissemination activities to all relevant stakeholders.

Childhood obesity is one of the greatest challenges facing public health and recent evidence shows it begins in preschool aged children. It has been suggested that interventions be carried out to improve physical activity and healthy eating behaviour among young children. This study aims to fully evaluate Healthy Start, a multilevel physical activity and healthy eating intervention for preschool aged children. It is hypothesized that the Healthy Start intervention will improve both eating and physical activity behaviors of children attending early childcare centers because of its influence on multiple factors.

The investigators long term-goal is to help YMCA programs across the nation successfully acheive the Y of USA "Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Standards". Our objective here is threefold. First, the investigators will work with South Carolina YMCA leadership to achieve the "Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Standards" and implement our HEPA Strategies in YMCA programs across the state, evaluate the uptake of and adherence to the standards and strategies, and identify factors that influence their implementation. Second, the investigators will evaluate the impact of acheiving the standards on children's MVPA and the serving and consumption of FV and water during the programs. Third, the investigators will evaluate the costs associated with and the cost-effectiveness of meeting the standards in terms of improvements in activity and healthy eating.

Background: Many unhealthy dietary and physical activity habits that foster the development of obesity are established by the age of five. Presently, approximately 70 percent of children in the United States are currently enrolled in early childcare facilities, making this an ideal setting to implement and evaluate childhood obesity prevention efforts. We describe here the methods for conducting an obesity prevention intervention randomized trial in the child care setting. Methods/Design: A randomized, controlled obesity prevention trial in 28 low-income, ethnically diverse child care centers located throughout Miami-Dade County, FL is currently being conducted over two years (2010-present) to test the efficacy of an intervention that poises teachers and parents as lifestyle change agents. The Healthy Caregivers-Healthy Children (HC2) program includes a curriculum focusing specifically on healthy food choices, increased exercise, and role modeling. The program targets food policy changes throughout the school, and via the child, caregiver, and teacher. Major outcome measures include child body mass index percentile and z score, fruit and vegetable and other nutritious food intake, and amount of physical activity. Discussion: Although few attempts have been made to prevent obesity during the first years of life, this period may represent the best opportunity for obesity prevention. Findings from this investigation should inform both the fields of childhood obesity prevention and early childhood research about the effects of an obesity prevention program housed in the childcare setting. (H1) A child care center-based obesity prevention intervention program that includes a teacher and parent nutritional gatekeeper and role modeling program will be more effective in maintaining BMI in 3-5 year olds compared to a control group. (H2) Role modeling (teacher and parent) will be identified as a significant mediator in preventing obesity among intervention children versus controls. (H3) A child care center-based multi-level obesity prevention intervention program will improve child nutrition (increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, decreased consumption of sweetened beverages) and increase physical activity level compared to a control group.

Obesity is associated with increased risk of heart disease and diabetes (Kim et al., 2010). Appalachian children in Athens County, Ohio, experience higher rates of obesity compared to the national average (20.9% vs. 15.4%), which increases their risk of obesity-related diseases (Montgomery-Reagan, Bianco, Heh, Rettos, & Huston, 2009). Although physical activity (PA) is known to improve fitness and adiposity (Gutin & Owens, 2011; Yin et al., 2009), very little is known about the effects of PA on the progression of chronic disease risk factors (biomarkers) for obesity-related diseases in children, such as inflammatory markers, lipids, and glucose/insulin. This lack of knowledge is due to a limited understanding of the number of calories burned during children's free-play PA. This study will assess the impact of a PA program (ACT) of known energy cost on obesity-related disease markers in 2nd-4th grade children compared to a sedentary control group (SED). The study will recruit children from an after-school program in Athens County elementary schools. Baseline and posttest data will include measures of height, weight, body composition, blood pressure, and physical activity levels. Following baseline measures, children will be randomized into either the ACT or SED group for 8 weeks. The ACT group will play recess-type games previously determined to expend ≥100 calories in 30 minutes. The SED group children will play sedentary-type activities during the same time period. It is hypothesized that the ACT group children will demonstrate significant improvements in PA after 8 weeks compared to the SED group children and that these improvements will be related to positive changes in body weight and body composition.

The purpose of the study is to test the effectiveness of a child obesity intervention with multiple components targeting nutrition and/or psycho-social factors in children, their parents, and their classmates. The specific aims of the study are to (1) Determine the effectiveness of two family-level interventions for improving child outcomes (unhealthy eating, low activity, and overweight); (2) Determine the extent to which adding a family dynamics component enhances the effectiveness of a family lifestyle intervention and improves the child outcomes listed above; and (3) Determine the extent to which a peer-level intervention improves the effectiveness of two family-level interventions among overweight children.

The purpose of this study is to develop, implement and evaluate an intervention focused to change feeding practices and patterns of physical activity of preschool children through providing motivational counseling to the mother. The aim is to prevent obesity in children aged 2 to 4 years 11 months with risk of overweight or with overweight.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of Latino parent-focused education that combines enhancing parent engagement, building quality parent-child relationships, promoting healthy eating and physical activity, and engaging families with community resources for healthy foods on youth energy balance related behaviors and weight status.

Regulated nutrition information is complex, using decimal places and percentages. Front of pack (FOP) labels provide simplified nutrition information on the front of packages. It has been suggested that the traditional approach to nutrition labeling is difficult for children to use; this is unfortunate as childhood is a critical time for developing long-lasting eating habits and children influence purchase decisions. Materials and Methods Children aged 6-10 played a video game in which participants fed "Munchy Monster" the healthier of two cereal products presented on a computer screen. Across trials the FOP format varied in a 2 (color/no color) x 2 (facial emotion icon/no facial icon) factorial design. Within a trial both cereals presented the same FOP format, with one cereal healthier than the other. Results Data suggest that color coding and/or facial icon significantly benefits selection accuracy and speed, particularly for the youngest children. Minimal training (awareness of the FOPs existence and that it might contain nutrition information) further improved accuracy and speed of responses. Conclusions FOPs that leverage visual indicators assist even young children in assessing the nutritional value of a product.

The goal of the proposed project is to see if an innovative family-based intervention can reduce childhood obesity by actively engaging the whole family in promoting healthy behaviors in the home. In addition, the project will also examine how the NU-HOME family intervention influences children's dietary intake, availability of healthy and unhealthy foods in the home and served at meals and snacks, physical activity as a family, and child screen time (TV, game systems). The study will build upon a similar project conducted in an urban area and translate the lessons learned and adapt the program for a rural community.