Evaluation of a family education program for overweight children and adolescents

Increased child and youth overweight and obesity, as well as significant health effects associated with obesity, have led to recommendations for multicomponent prevention programs. In 2005 to 2006, the former Calgary Health Region (now Alberta Health Services) had an opportunity to develop, deliver, and evaluate an early intervention service for families with children at risk for overweight and obesity. Using available evidence and with access to key advisors, core team members developed and implemented a curriculum for a family-focused, behaviour-based education program entitled Make It HAPPEN. A health-centred approach based on the physical, mental, and social well-being of the whole child was used. Physical, self-esteem, and quality-of-life measures were included in program evaluation. After the program, statistically significant reductions in body mass index (BMI) percentile and z-score were seen, as were increases in quality of life. Self-esteem improved significantly for children with initial BMI percentiles of at least 98. Evaluation results indicate that an effective program can be developed with limited resources to meet best practice needs. Potentially, such programs could be integrated into other community obesity prevention programs or within primary health services models.