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Association between a school‐based intervention and adiposity outcomes in adolescents: The Italian “ EAT ” project
Author(s) -
Ermetici Federica,
Zelaschi Roberta F.,
Briganti Silvia,
Dozio Elena,
Gaeta Maddalena,
Ambrogi Federico,
Pelissero Gabriele,
Tettamanti Guido,
Marco Corsi Romanelli Massimiliano,
Carruba Michele,
Morricone Lelio,
Malavazos Alexis E.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1002/oby.21365
Subject(s) - overweight , medicine , obesity , intervention (counseling) , waist , body mass index , physical therapy , demography , gerontology , psychiatry , sociology
Objective To evaluate whether a school‐based multicomponent educational program could improve adiposity measures in middle‐school adolescents. Methods A non‐randomized controlled pilot study was conducted in six state middle schools (487 adolescents, 11‐15 years) in townships in an urban area around Milan, three schools ( n = 262 adolescents) being assigned to the intervention group and three schools ( n = 225 adolescents) to the control group. The two‐school‐year intervention included changes in the school environment (alternative healthy vending machines, educational posters) and individual reinforcement tools (school lessons, textbook, text messages, pedometers, re‐usable water bottles). The main outcome measure was change in BMI z ‐score. The secondary outcomes were changes in waist‐to‐height ratio (WHtR) and behavioral habits. Results The intervention was associated with a significant difference in BMI z ‐score (−0.18 ± 0.03, P <0.01) and in WHtR (−0.04 ± 0.002, P < 0.001), after controlling for baseline covariates. Subgroup analysis showed the maximum association between the intervention and the difference in BMI z ‐score for girls with overweight/obesity. Physical activity increased and consumption of sugar‐sweetened beverages and high‐energy snacks decreased in adolescents after the intervention. Conclusions A school‐based multicomponent intervention conducted at both environmental and individual levels may be effective for reducing adiposity measures mainly in adolescents with overweight/obesity.