The purpose of this study was to determine whether once-weekly exposure to a program that fostered self-esteem building, and improvements in nutrition and physical activity behaviors would reduce risk of type 2 diabetes in overweight, inner-city, African American children when compared to a control group.
In the United States and, indeed, worldwide the prevalence of overweight and obesity has increased at an unprecedented rate. Concomitant with this demographic change are increases in diseases including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers that are associated with body fatness. Strategies to reduce body weight have been largely unsuccessful, making it unlikely that our population will be made healthy simply by recommending that overweight people reduce their body fatness. There is evidence, however, that the impact of body fat on human health can be significantly attenuated by potentially achievable strategies. Such strategies require adequate intakes of essential nutrients, regular physical activity and strong self-esteem. The goal of the project is to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in overweight 9- to 10-year-old African American children through a multi-component community-based program. The specific objectives are to (1).Implement a randomly controlled 2-phase intervention involving a 2-week summer camp, and weekly \& monthly reinforcement sessions over 2 years, that include nutrition education, physical activity promotion, and self-esteem and self-efficacy building and (2) Test effectiveness of the program after 1 and 2 years of intervention on insulin sensitivity, the primary outcome, and on secondary outcomes including body fatness, dietary intakes, physical activity, and self-esteem. Identifying an effective, community-based program that could reduce risk of type 2 diabetes in high-risk children would promote health, reduce disease and reduce health-care costs in the future.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
240
High-intensity intervention, Experimental. Participating children were invited to attend a 2 week summer day camp at the beginning of each intervention year, and to attend a weekly, 2 hr interactive session for children. Activities provided hand-on experiences preparing and tasting healthy food alternatives, engaging in a range of physical activities and self-esteem boosting via activities that promoted communication and positive behavioral development.
Low-intensity intervention, Active comparator. Participants were provided with educational materials 4 times yearly.
YMCA of the East Bay, Oakland, CA 94612
Oakland, California, United States
1 Year change in insulin resistance via HOMA-IR
Baseline HOMA-IR minus Year 1 HOMA-IR
Time frame: Change during first year
2 year change in insulin resistance via HOMA-IR
Baseline HOMA-IR minus Year 2 HOMA-IR
Time frame: Change during 2 years
Change in dietary intakes of energy, fat, carbohydrate and selected essential nutrients. Change in minutes/day spend in moderate- and high-intensity physical activity. Improvement or stabilization of self-esteem.
Time frame: 3years
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