Evaluation of the Planet Nutrition Program on Obesity Parameters in Mexican Schoolchildren
Condition: Childhood Obesity
MeSH terms: Obesity; Pediatric Obesity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Obesity prevention programs in schools are essential to promoting healthy lifestyles. There
      are programs with positive effects on obesity parameters, but only a few of them have
      didactic material for its dissemination. In United States they have effective programs (with
      materials for their implementation) and some are already being implemented in different
      schools. In Mexico our study group has developed a program called "Planet Nutrition" that
      includes a manual.The main aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the program
      "Planet Nutrition"-a nutrition education and behaviour change program- on BMI Z score in
      school children compared to a control group at 9 weeks. This pilot stud is a randomized
      controlled trial. The study will be conducted with 41 participants. The primary outcome was
      the change in the BMI Z score from baseline to 9 weeks. Secondary outcomes were the changes
      from baseline to 9 weeks in body fat percentage, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic
      blood pressure, consumption of healthy and unhealthy food, physical activity and sedentary
      lifestyle, cardiorespiratory capacity and nutrition knowledge. Additionally BMI Z score will
      be measured at 23 weeks, after the summer vacations. Considering evidence that this period
      could have a negative impact on children´s weight.
    

Detailed description: 
      Fifth grade students from a public elementary school in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico were
      invited to participate in the program. The nutritionist team of the study made the request
      face to face in the classrooms. A printed invitation was delivered to be given to
      schoolchildren parents, in addition to the informed consent and assent along with a data
      questionnaire. To be included children must be in fifth grade from the chosen school and be
      between 9 to 12 years old. The exclusion criteria were, having or develop a medical
      condition, taking medication or having an intervention that affects body weight, having a
      condition that prevents physical activity (cardiovascular, respiratory, muscular,
      osteoarticular, etc.) at baseline or during the study, and withdrawal of the consent informed
    

Intervention name(s): Planet Nutrition program
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): - Nutritional education sessions: The study team previously worked on the development of a handbook called "Planet Nutrition" which contains around 26 topics of nutrition and health. Interns from the Nutritional Sciences Degree of the University of Sonora implemented the sessions. 2 classes of 1 hour were given weekly, adding 18 sessions in total, during regular school hours. The program contemplates the establishment of different objectives.
- Physical activity: The classes were designed and implemented by interns from the Bachelor of Physical Culture and Sport from the University of Sonora along with a teacher from the study team. 3 weekly sessions of 1 hour were provided. The activities were held on the schoolyard court during normal school hours, independent of the physical activity classes of the school.
- Indirect family participation: Six information brochures with different nutrition and health topics were sent to parents.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: None (open label)
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Prevention; Obesity; Childhood; School-based Program; Lifestyle; Nutrition Education