An Activity Calendar Program for Children Who are Overweight
An Activity Calendar Program for Children Who are Overweight
Sedentary lifestyle activities, such as computer use and television viewing, are modifiable causes of overweight among children. There are many recommendations in the literature that suggest the number of children who are overweight must be decreased; however, none of the research describes an instrument to achieve this goal. This article describes the use of a home-based physical activity calendar and its successes and failures.
Overweight is one of the most prevalent and serious health problems in children (Rosner, Prineas, Loggie, & Daniels, 1998). Approximately one in five children in the United States is overweight (Barlow & Dietz, 1998). The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) examined the prevalence of overweight (defined as a body mass index [BMI] at or above the 85th percentile) in children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 17 and reported that 21% to 24% of children between the ages of 6 and 8 were at or above the 85th percentile for BMI (Wilmore, 1997).
Declining physical activity of children at school and at home is recognized as one of the primary factors that leads to overweight in childhood. The percentage of students engaged in daily, school-based physical education is declining (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 1995). In addition to the decline in school physical education, watching television and playing video games appear to be major factors in reducing the amount of physical activity and are strong predictors of obesity in children. According to Gortmaker et al. (1996), the odds of being overweight were 4.6 times greater for youth watching 5 hours of television per day when compared to those who watched between 0-2 hours of television per day. Sallis et al. (1992) proposed that overweight may be due to suppression of the metabolic rate during periods of television watching. Increasing physical activity alone has been found to prevent overweight in children (Wilmore, 1997). Healthy People 2010 risk reduction objectives support the critical role of vigorous physical activity and reduction of sedentary lifestyle patterns in promoting the development and maintenance of cardiorespiratory fitness in children and adolescents ages 6 to 17. Risk reduction objective 19-3a recommends reducing the proportion of children 6-11 years of age that are overweight or obese to no more than 5% of the population (USDHHS, 1999).
Children who are overweight are at high risk of becoming overweight adults with a greater risk factor for cardiovascular disease (Himes & Dietz, 1994). Overweight is a risk factor for insulin resistance, abnormal lipid profile, hypertension, and adult morbidity and mortality (Rosner et al., 1998). As weight increases, physical activity becomes more difficult, embarrassing, and uncomfortable and often leads to even greater inactivity and weight gain. Active children and adolescents are more likely to be active adults, and conversely, inactive children are more likely to become inactive adults (Raitakari, Porkka, Taimela, Rasanen, & Vilkari, 1994). Wilmore (1997) concluded that once a person is overweight or obese, it is unlikely that he or she will return to a normal weight. Thus, prevention of obesity during childhood offers the best opportunity for long-term prevention of overweight.
Intervention strategies in the literature primarily focused on treatment of adolescent obesity in school-based programs. However, research is limited on the efficacy of home-based interventions for younger children that involve parents. Parent involvement was found to be the key to successful implementation of weight maintenance strategies with children (Golan, Weizman, Apter, & Fainaru, 1998). Therefore, the development of a home-based intervention focused on children and parents as the agents of change may help prevent overweight among children. The purpose of this paper is to present a clinical project where the goal was to engage parents in actively selecting and participating in a home-based physical activity intervention with their children in an effort to increase their awareness of the importance of exercise in childhood.
Sedentary lifestyle activities, such as computer use and television viewing, are modifiable causes of overweight among children. There are many recommendations in the literature that suggest the number of children who are overweight must be decreased; however, none of the research describes an instrument to achieve this goal. This article describes the use of a home-based physical activity calendar and its successes and failures.
Overweight is one of the most prevalent and serious health problems in children (Rosner, Prineas, Loggie, & Daniels, 1998). Approximately one in five children in the United States is overweight (Barlow & Dietz, 1998). The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) examined the prevalence of overweight (defined as a body mass index [BMI] at or above the 85th percentile) in children and adolescents between the ages of 6 and 17 and reported that 21% to 24% of children between the ages of 6 and 8 were at or above the 85th percentile for BMI (Wilmore, 1997).
Declining physical activity of children at school and at home is recognized as one of the primary factors that leads to overweight in childhood. The percentage of students engaged in daily, school-based physical education is declining (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 1995). In addition to the decline in school physical education, watching television and playing video games appear to be major factors in reducing the amount of physical activity and are strong predictors of obesity in children. According to Gortmaker et al. (1996), the odds of being overweight were 4.6 times greater for youth watching 5 hours of television per day when compared to those who watched between 0-2 hours of television per day. Sallis et al. (1992) proposed that overweight may be due to suppression of the metabolic rate during periods of television watching. Increasing physical activity alone has been found to prevent overweight in children (Wilmore, 1997). Healthy People 2010 risk reduction objectives support the critical role of vigorous physical activity and reduction of sedentary lifestyle patterns in promoting the development and maintenance of cardiorespiratory fitness in children and adolescents ages 6 to 17. Risk reduction objective 19-3a recommends reducing the proportion of children 6-11 years of age that are overweight or obese to no more than 5% of the population (USDHHS, 1999).
Children who are overweight are at high risk of becoming overweight adults with a greater risk factor for cardiovascular disease (Himes & Dietz, 1994). Overweight is a risk factor for insulin resistance, abnormal lipid profile, hypertension, and adult morbidity and mortality (Rosner et al., 1998). As weight increases, physical activity becomes more difficult, embarrassing, and uncomfortable and often leads to even greater inactivity and weight gain. Active children and adolescents are more likely to be active adults, and conversely, inactive children are more likely to become inactive adults (Raitakari, Porkka, Taimela, Rasanen, & Vilkari, 1994). Wilmore (1997) concluded that once a person is overweight or obese, it is unlikely that he or she will return to a normal weight. Thus, prevention of obesity during childhood offers the best opportunity for long-term prevention of overweight.
Intervention strategies in the literature primarily focused on treatment of adolescent obesity in school-based programs. However, research is limited on the efficacy of home-based interventions for younger children that involve parents. Parent involvement was found to be the key to successful implementation of weight maintenance strategies with children (Golan, Weizman, Apter, & Fainaru, 1998). Therefore, the development of a home-based intervention focused on children and parents as the agents of change may help prevent overweight among children. The purpose of this paper is to present a clinical project where the goal was to engage parents in actively selecting and participating in a home-based physical activity intervention with their children in an effort to increase their awareness of the importance of exercise in childhood.
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