Longitudinal quality of life improvement in underserved rural youth with obesity

Abstract

SummaryObjectiveACT! (Actively Changing Together) is a family‐ and community‐based intervention targeting youth with obesity. The objective of this study was to establish the longitudinal impact on Health‐Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) as well as the relationship with anthropometric and demographic factors.MethodsYouth (n = 75) aged 8–14 years meeting criteria for overweight or obesity were referred to the programme. Twelve, 90‐min classes in English and Spanish were held at the YMCA. Demographics and anthropometrics were assessed, as well as HRQoL that was measured with the child‐reported Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™) 4.0 Generic Core Scale. Data was collected at three follow‐up points after completion of the intervention: initial follow‐up (n = 65), 6 (n = 41) and 12 months (n = 25). Analysis included paired dependent t‐tests between baseline and follow‐up, and Pearson's correlations on HRQoL, anthropometric and demographic data.ResultsPedsQL scores significantly improved from baseline to all follow‐up timepoints (initial follow‐up immediately following the intervention, and 6 and 12 months post intervention). Over time, body mass index Z‐Score and per cent body fat displayed various points of significance and strengthening correlations.ConclusionsLongitudinal improvements in HRQoL were sustained up to 12 months following a family‐ and community‐based intervention in this underserved population. Anthropometric measures continuously correlated with and contributed to HRQoL outcomes.

WITHDRAWN: Pilot Evaluation of Obesity-Specific Health-Related Quality of Life Following a 12-Week Non-Randomized Lifestyle Intervention in Youth

“…The positive improvements observed via the SMU tool after this lifestyle and community-based intervention demonstrate that psychosocial health, particularly in regards to obesity-speci c domains, signi cantly improved in this group of youth. Results in this study of SMU paralleled those ndings from Peds-QL TM tool, a more widely-used tool, which was also used in this study and reported previously 8 . A systematic review 19 called for more interventions that target adolescence age groups, which our study included.…”

“…15 The most widely employed instrument for assessing general HRQOL in youth, the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™), 16 was also employed in this study and reported previously. 8 The Child Health Utility (CHU9D) is a another generic pediatric quality of life instrument developed in the UK. 17 Alternatively, the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life (IWQOL)-Kids tool, like SMU, was also developed by the team at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.…”

“…The objective of this study was to pilot test the obesity-speci c HRQOL instrument in this communityand family-based, lifestyle intervention in a population of non-Hispanic white and Mexican American youth with obesity. We previously reported our ndings from the Pediatric Quality of Life instrument 8 , but we also wanted to employ an obesity-speci c HRQOL. Obesity-speci c HRQOL was measured with the Sizing Me Up © instrument (SMU), a 22-item obesity-speci c measure assesses social, physical and psychological well-being and to our knowledge, had not previously been evaluated among…”

“…7 This 12-week lifestyle intervention, Actively Changing Together, or ACT!, has been fully described elsewhere. 8,9 Brie y, paper-and-pencil surveys were administered to participating children (ages 8-14) with obesity (BMI at or above the 85 th percentile for age), and their co-enrolled parent or guardian at baseline and at conclusion of the 12-week intervention. The intervention, based on social cognitive theory, addressed a variety of topics including weekly group physical activity, nutrition education, parental problem solving, bullying and psychosocial issues, and reducing sedentary time.…”

The Meaning of Obesity among Marriage and Family Therapists

“…Researchers in the field of marriage and family therapy as well as human development, family studies, and medicine have noted the effectiveness of marriage and family therapy in working with clients regarding the matter of obesity [14][15][16][17]. Furthermore, a significant number of researchers have found that family-based interventions are effective for the treatment of obesity [18]. However, family-based interventions may or may not be conducted by marriage and family therapists [19].…”