Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
[Effects of a comprehensive intervention program on simple obesity of children in kindergarten]
Yi-feng He1, Wen-yuan Wang, Ping Fu
1Department of Child Health Care, Qingdao Women & Children's Medical & Health Care Center, Qingdao 266011, China.
Insights
This study shows a comprehensive program effectively reduced obesity in kindergarten children without hindering height growth. The intervention improved health habits and outcomes for obese children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Obesity Management
- Behavioral Science in Child Health
- Nutritional Science for Children
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern requiring effective management strategies.
- Kindergarten-aged children are in a critical developmental period for establishing lifelong health habits.
- Multidisciplinary approaches are essential for addressing complex health issues like childhood obesity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a scientific, rational, and easily applicable comprehensive management program for obese kindergarten children.
- To involve child care workers, parents, and healthcare professionals in promoting healthy lifestyles for weight control.
- To maintain the physical and mental health of obese children through lifestyle interventions.
Main Methods:
- Applied principles of behavioral science, nutriology, and kinematics for standardized weight control.
- Utilized a three-group design: intervened obese children, non-intervened obese children, and normal children.
- Monitored weight, height, and Body Mass Index (BMI) to assess intervention effectiveness and impact on linear growth.
Main Results:
- The intervened obese group showed a 62.5% recovery rate versus 5.3% in the non-intervened group.
- Significant reductions in weight (4.15 kg lower) and BMI (2.9 decrease) were observed in the intervened group.
- Intervention positively influenced behaviors at home and in kindergarten, with height gain comparable to normal children.
Conclusions:
- A comprehensive intervention program involving children, caregivers, and healthcare providers is safe and effective for alleviating childhood obesity.
- The program successfully reduced obesity levels without negatively impacting children's normal height development.
- Early intervention during sensitive developmental periods can help establish beneficial lifelong health habits.
Objective:
The purpose of the study was to explore a comprehensive management program for the obese children in kindergarten. The program should be scientific, rational, suitable for kindergarten, and easy to apply. Child care workers, parents, and child health care doctors participated in the program to help obese children establish a scientific life style through their daily life, to control their weight and to maintain their physical and mental health.
Methods:
The theories of behavior science, nutriology and kinematics were applied to make the weight control of obese children in kindergarten quantified and relatively standardized. Children were divided into three groups, intervened obese children, non-intervened obese children and normal children. Data such as weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) were observed to assess the effect of weight control and define whether it affects the linear gain of children's height.
Results:
The recovery rate of intervened obese group, non-intervened group was 62.5% and 5.3%, respectively. The general effective rate was 91.7% and 15.8%, respectively. The weight gain of intervened group was 4.15 kg lower than that of non-intervened group. The BMI of intervened group significantly decreased by 2.9 as compared to the non-intervened group. The height gain of intervened group was similar to that of normal group. Parents and health care workers' realization of children obesity and their corresponding actions, the behaviors of obese children at home and in kindergarten were changed toward the direction beneficial to weight control.
Conclusion:
The implementation of the comprehensive intervention program for obesity in children, which involved obese children, child care worker, parents, and child care doctors alleviated the obesity level of those obese children without affecting their normal height gain. The program was safe and effective. Through the comprehensive intervention, the obese children could establish good habits during the sensitive period.
