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Reducing unhealthy weight gain in Fijian adolescents : results of the Healthy Youth Healthy Communities study
journal contribution
posted on 2011-11-01, 00:00 authored by Peter KremerPeter Kremer, G Waqa, N Vanualailai, J Schultz, G Roberts, Marj MoodieMarj Moodie, Helen Mavoa, Mary MalakellisMary Malakellis, M McCabe, Boyd SwinburnObesity is a significant problem among adolescents in Pacific populations. This paper reports on the outcomes of a 3-year obesity prevention study, Healthy Youth Healthy Communities, which was part of the Pacific Obesity Prevention in Communities project, undertaken with Fijian adolescents. The intervention was developed with schools and comprised social marketing, nutrition and physical activity initiatives and capacity building designed to reduce unhealthy weight, and the individual exposure period was just over 2-year duration. The evaluation incorporated a quasi-experimental, longitudinal design in seven intervention secondary schools near Suva (n = 874) and a matched sample of 11 comparison secondary schools from western Viti Levu (n = 2,062). There were significant differences between groups at baseline; the intervention group was shorter, weighed less, had a higher proportion of underweight and lower proportion of overweight, and better quality of life (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory only). At follow-up, the intervention group had lower percentage body fat (-1.17) but also a lower increase in quality of life (Assessment of Quality of Life instrument: -0.02; Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory: -1.94) than the comparison group. There were no other differences in anthropometry, and behaviours’ changes showed a mixed pattern. In conclusion, this school-based health promotion programme lowered percentage body fat but did not reduce unhealthy weight gain or influence most obesity-promoting behaviours among Fijian adolescents. Despite growing evidence supporting the efficacy of community-based approaches to reduce obesity among children of European descent, findings from this study failed to demonstrate the efficacy of a community capacity-building approach among an adolescent sample drawn from a different sociocultural, economic and geographical context. Additional ‘top–down’ or other innovative approaches may be needed to reduce adolescent obesity in the Pacific.
History
Journal
Obesity reviewsVolume
12Issue
Supplement 2Pagination
29 - 40Publisher
Wiley-BlackwellLocation
Oxford, EnglandPublisher DOI
ISSN
1467-7881eISSN
1467-789XLanguage
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2011, International Association for the Study of ObesityUsage metrics
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