Physical Activity Promotion In Overweight/Obese Children. A Project Implemented In A Hospital Context

BACKGROUND. Overweight and obesity in youth must be combated through a multiple approach combining management principles in nutrition and physical activity (PA). In the hospital context, medical staff seems to be more focused on nutrition. AIM. In this study, we proposed to implement a specific intervention focusing on PA in parallel with traditional paediatric and dietetic visits designed to 6-12 year-old children. METHODS. Data were collected in three steps: (1) after a visit at the hospital, subjects and their parents answered to a questionnaire (lifestyle, representation about PA) and attended to a meeting during which they received written (illustrated booklet) and oral cues about PA as well as an invitation to use a PA diary and a pedometer; (2) before the next visit (almost 8 weeks interval), they were free to apply the recommendations; (3) after the next visit to the hospital, subjects analyzed the diary with one of the researchers and answered to questions about their current lifestyle and representations about PA. 34 children respected the whole protocol. FINDINGS. Among the children and their parents, representations of PA changed between the visits (PA was no longer regarded merely as sport). Major changes were also identified in children’s lifestyle (increase of number of weekly PA, family PA, weekly PA time; decrease of inactivity time like TV or video games). Only 27 children out of 34 used the PA diary at least once (information were recorded for a mean of 18 days/child between the 2 visits – a third of the duration of the interval). The pedometer has been used by 15 children and was considered as a motivating tool. 58.5% of comments collected at the end of the second meeting were positive and emphasized the interest of the intervention; 24.6% were negative and mainly focused the PA diary). DISCUSSION. This study underlines the need to improve the family's representations about PA in paediatric and dietetic visits. It supports PA experts' integration in the staff.