Effect of a comprehensive school-based intervention on childhood obesity

Objective To assess the effectiveness of a comprehensive school-based intervention combining diet and physical activity components with a mobile health technology on childhood obesity. Methods Fifty-eight four-grade students were recruited from an urban and a rural school in Beijing and participated in the 3-months comprehensive intervention. WeChat platform was used to promote communication with students' parents during the intervention period. All students underwent measurements of height, weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, blood pressure, body fat percentage, and obesity-related diet and physical activity behaviors at baseline and three months after the intervention. Results After the intervention, the body mass index Z-score, waist-to-hip ratio and diastolic pressure declined by 0.13 kg /m2, 0.02 and 2.47 mmHg statistically(P<0.05). Healthy eating and physical activity behaviors improved significantly(P<0.05) except for overeating. Conclusion A comprehensive school-based intervention combining diet and physical activity components with a mobile health technology showed moderate effect on improving obesity-related outcomes in children.