Summer and follow-up interventions to affect adiposity with mothers and daughters

The development of effective obesity interventions to reduce adiposity indicators in Latina girls is a public health priority because of their increased risk for becoming overweight. Research indicates that the summer season may be a critical time to intervene because summer exacerbates children's risk for excessive weight gain and increased body fat development.

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to determine if summer and follow-up interventions reduce adiposity in Latina girls; (2) to assess if such interventions reduce adiposity in Latina girls after controlling for their mothers' adiposity measures.

This study had a non-experimental (one-group pre- and multiple post-intervention assessment) design. Following a 4-week healthy-lifestyle summer program, each mother-daughter pair participated in 12 weekly follow-up sessions.

The sample consisted of 61 pairs of Latina girls and their mothers (N=122). Daughters' average age was 10.9 years (± 1.6 years) and mothers' average age was 38.0 years (± 1.6 years). All daughters and 92% of the mothers were categorized as overweight/obese.

Percent body fat (%BF), abdominal fat, and height and weight measurements to calculate BMI were conducted at pre-intervention (M1 [baseline]) and three post-intervention time points (M2 [Month 2]; M3 [Month 3]; and M4 [Month 6]). Paired sample t-tests were used to assess the differences in adiposity among the daughters from M1 to M4. Repeated-measures ANCOVA tests were used to control for mother's adiposity.

Reductions of %BF (p<0.001); abdominal fat (p<0.05); and BMI (p<0.001) at M2 were found for the summer intervention, but no effects were found at M4. Maternal %BF, abdominal fat, and BMI did not have an impact on the daughters' adiposity indicators.

Results from this study revealed that a summer intervention appears to be effective in reducing adiposity in Latina girls, but the follow-up sessions did not result in sustaining continued reductions. Maternal measures did not influence their daughters' adiposity measures.