Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Mar;11(3):SC07-SC11.
doi: 10.7860/JCDR/2017/21423.9368. Epub 2017 Mar 1.

Internet Based Obesity Prevention Program for Thai School Children- A Randomized Control Trial

Lakkana Rerksuppaphol  1 , Sanguansak Rerksuppaphol  2
Affiliations

Internet Based Obesity Prevention Program for Thai School Children- A Randomized Control Trial

Lakkana Rerksuppaphol et al. J Clin Diagn Res. 2017 Mar.

Abstract

Introduction: Internet based obesity prevention program is one approach in learning strategies to improve healthy behaviour. It has been advocated as one strategy to address the rising prevalence of childhood obesity; however, their efficacy is not seen consistently.

Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of internet based obesity prevention program in Thai school children.

Materials and methods: Healthy children studying in public schools in one township of central Thailand were randomly assigned to either the intervention (internet based) program or the control group. Anthropometric characteristics were recorded at baseline and for the next four following months at monthly intervals. Changes in the percentage of overweight/obese children and changes in BMI at the end of study were considered as the primary and secondary outcome, respectively.

Results: A total of 217 children, mean age of 10.7 years, were included into the final analysis. Baseline anthropometric parameters and percentages of overweight/obesity were not significantly different between groups. At the end of the study, the control group had a higher percentage of overweight/obesity than the intervention group (56.6% vs. 39.6%, respectively; p-value=0.009). Children in the control group had a significantly higher increase in net BMI gains than those in the intervention group (1.24kg/m2 vs. 0.40kg/m2, p-value=0.027). The intervention group had no changes in BMI z-score (-0.001, 95%CI -0.19 to 0.18, p-value=0.988), contrary to those in the control group, which had significant gain of BMI z-score at the end of study (0.45, 95%CI 0.27 to 0.63, p-value<0.001).

Conclusion: Internet the based obesity prevention program was effective in modifying anthropometric outcome and helped to address the rising prevalence of overweight and obese status in Thai children.

Keywords: Children; Nutrition status; School health promotion.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

[Table/Fig-1]:
[Table/Fig-1]:
Study flow chart and enrolment.
[Table/Fig-3]:
[Table/Fig-3]:
Comparison of weight: a) BMI; b) and changes in weight; 3c) and BMI; d) during the study between the study groups. *Significant difference from control group (p-value<0.05)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Chung A, Backholer K, Wong E, Palermo C, Keating C, Peeters A. Trends in child and adolescent obesity prevalence in economically advanced countries according to socioeconomic position: a systematic review. Obes Rev. 2016;17:276–95. - PubMed
    1. Pienaar AE. Prevalence of overweight and obesity among primary school children in a developing country: NW-CHILD longitudinal data of 6-9-year-old children in South Africa. BMC Obes. 2015;2:2. - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization. Childhood overweight and obesity. [cited 2016 Jan 30]. Available from: http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/childhood/en/
    1. Ng M, Fleming T, Robinson M, Thomson B, Graetz N, Margono C, et al. Global, regional, and national prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and adults during 1980-2013: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2013. Lancet. 2014;384:766–81. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Caballero B. Obesity prevention in children: opportunities and challenges. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004;28(Suppl 3):S90–95. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources