G J Sanders1, W L Marwa2, B Wade3, P Gately2. 1. Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Fairfax Hall Rm 230, Headingley Campus, Leeds LS6 3QS, UK. 2. Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK. 3. OneLife Suffolk, Inspire Suffolk, Ipswich, UK.
Abstract
AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Local Authority commissioned large-scale public health service that provided a 6-week school-based weight management intervention for children aged 4-19 years. METHODS: A quantitative retrospective cohort study identified participants from 130 schools consisting of 8550 potential children aged 4-19 years across a mixture of Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) deprivation groups. Participants were invited to take part in a 5- to 12-week Healthy Lifestyles intervention with a focus on weight management delivered by OneLife Suffolk between 1 January 2017 and 1 January 2020. This resulted in a final sample of 5163 participants. The following information for each child was collected anonymously: (1) age, (2) gender, (3) preprogramme body mass index (BMI), (4) postprogramme BMI, (5) weight category and (6) LSOA category. RESULTS: Following the 6-week school-based intervention, there was a significant decrease in mean ΔBMI SDS (standardised body mass index) of -0.07 (-14.89%) among participants. Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed a significant change in weight status post 6-week weight management programme (WMP): BMI (Z = -15.87, p < .001), BMI SDS (Z = -21.54, p < .001), centile (Z = -20.12, p < .01) and weight category (Z = -7.89, p < .001), whereas Mann-Whitney U test showed no statistically significant difference in mean BMI SDS change between gender groups (p = .24) and Kruskal-Wallis test revealed no statistically significant differences in mean BMI SDS change between child LSOA groups (c2(4) = 1.67, p = .796), school LSOA groups (c2(4) = 4.72, p = .317), ethnic groups (c2(4) = 2.53, p = .640) and weight category at the start of the intervention (c2(3) = 6.20, p = .102). CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to the growing body of evidence demonstrating the efficacy of multicomponent school-based weight management interventions and demonstrates that such interventions can be successfully implemented as part of a wider healthy lifestyles service, without widening health inequalities.
AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Local Authority commissioned large-scale public health service that provided a 6-week school-based weight management intervention for children aged 4-19 years. METHODS: A quantitative retrospective cohort study identified participants from 130 schools consisting of 8550 potential children aged 4-19 years across a mixture of Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) deprivation groups. Participants were invited to take part in a 5- to 12-week Healthy Lifestyles intervention with a focus on weight management delivered by OneLife Suffolk between 1 January 2017 and 1 January 2020. This resulted in a final sample of 5163 participants. The following information for each child was collected anonymously: (1) age, (2) gender, (3) preprogramme body mass index (BMI), (4) postprogramme BMI, (5) weight category and (6) LSOA category. RESULTS: Following the 6-week school-based intervention, there was a significant decrease in mean ΔBMI SDS (standardised body mass index) of -0.07 (-14.89%) among participants. Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed a significant change in weight status post 6-week weight management programme (WMP): BMI (Z = -15.87, p < .001), BMI SDS (Z = -21.54, p < .001), centile (Z = -20.12, p < .01) and weight category (Z = -7.89, p < .001), whereas Mann-Whitney U test showed no statistically significant difference in mean BMI SDS change between gender groups (p = .24) and Kruskal-Wallis test revealed no statistically significant differences in mean BMI SDS change between child LSOA groups (c2(4) = 1.67, p = .796), school LSOA groups (c2(4) = 4.72, p = .317), ethnic groups (c2(4) = 2.53, p = .640) and weight category at the start of the intervention (c2(3) = 6.20, p = .102). CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to the growing body of evidence demonstrating the efficacy of multicomponent school-based weight management interventions and demonstrates that such interventions can be successfully implemented as part of a wider healthy lifestyles service, without widening health inequalities.