Effects of Multidisciplinary Health Promotion Program Among Children in Community Childcare Center.

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Nutrition Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Community childcare centers play a crucial role in child development.
• Multidisciplinary education programs can impact health behaviors.
• Assessing the effectiveness of such programs is vital for optimizing child health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a 12-month multidisciplinary education program on health status, dietary quality, and eating habits.
• To compare outcomes between high and low participation groups.
• To identify specific areas of improvement in children and adolescents.

Main Methods:

• An 88-participant cohort aged 7-17 years from community childcare centers in Gyeonggi-do.
• A 12-session multidisciplinary education program covering nutrition, exercise, and psychological health.
• Group categorization into high participation group (HPG) and low participation group (LPG) for comparative analysis.

Main Results:

• Moderate-intensity exercise significantly decreased in the LPG; psychological parameters showed no significant difference.
• Calorie, carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake significantly increased in both groups, with greater increases in HPG.
• Dietary fiber intake increased in both groups, with HPG showing increased daily food intake and LPG showing increased meat and fruit intake.

Conclusions:

• The multidisciplinary education program primarily enhanced nutrition-related factors in children and adolescents.
• Physical activity and psychological aspects were less affected by the intervention.
• Community childcare centers can be effective settings for nutrition-focused health education programs.