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Dose response relationship between program attendance and children's outcomes in a community based weight management
Santosh Khanal1, Leah Choi1, Christine Innes-Hughes1
1NSW Office of Preventive Health, Liverpool Hospital, Locked Bag 7103, Liverpool BC, NSW, 1871, Australia.
Insights
Attending the Go4Fun program improved child health outcomes, but maternal education impacted results. More sessions benefited children whose mothers had less education, suggesting tailored support is key for childhood obesity management.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- The Go4Fun program in New South Wales, Australia, is a community-based intervention for overweight and obese children (7-13 years) and their families.
- This study evaluated the relationship between session attendance and program outcomes, including body mass index (BMI) z-score, dietary habits, and physical activity levels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the optimal number of sessions for achieving significant improvements in childhood obesity metrics.
- To investigate how session attendance and type influence weight management, dietary intake, and physical activity in children.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of pre- and post-program data from 3090 participants over 3.5 years.
- Statistical methods included Spearman's correlation, MANOVA, multivariate regression, and piecewise linear regression to assess attendance-outcome relationships.
Main Results:
- Significant improvements in outcome measures were observed for participants attending at least five sessions (p < 0.01).
- No direct correlation was found between the number or type of sessions attended and specific outcome measures.
- Children of mothers without post-school qualifications showed less improvement in BMI z-score and vegetable intake compared to those with more educated mothers.
Conclusions:
- Maternal educational attainment is a significant factor influencing both program attendance and health outcomes in family-based childhood obesity treatment.
- Children of mothers with lower educational attainment benefited more from attending seven or more sessions, particularly regarding BMI z-score improvements.
Introduction:
The Go4Fun program in New South Wales, Australia is a community based weight management program for overweight and obese children aged 7-13 years and their families. This study assessed the impact of the number and type of sessions attended on body mass index (BMI) z-score, fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity and sedentary behaviours to determine the number of sessions required to achieve optimal program outcomes.
Methods:
Secondary analysis was conducted on pre and post participant program data collected over 3.5 years. Relationships between session attendance and program outcomes were assessed using Spearman's correlation and multivariate analyses of variance and multivariate regression. Number of sessions required to achieve optimal program outcomes was determined using piecewise linear regression.
Results:
For 3090 participants (48.5% of registrants) who attended at least five sessions, outcome measures improved significantly at post program compared with pre (p < 0.01). No relationships were seen between number and type of sessions attended and outcome measures. Children of mothers without a post-school qualification (university degree or vocational qualification) were more likely to achieve lower levels of improvements in BMI z-score (p = 0.02) and vegetable intake (P < 0.01) than those children with post-school qualified mothers (F = 3.68, p = 0.03). Children of mothers without post-school education that attended seven sessions or more achieved significantly better BMI z-score outcomes (p < 0.01) than those who attended fewer sessions.
Conclusions:
Maternal educational attainment influences program attendance and health and behavioural outcomes in a family based obesity treatment program.