Evaluation of an Online Lifestyle Intervention in Mexican School Children During COVID-19 Pandemic
Condition: Childhood Obesity
MeSH terms: COVID-19; Pediatric Obesity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Introduction: School closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic represent a risk factor for the
      development of childhood obesity due to the increase in unhealthy behaviors. Online lifestyle
      interventions in schoolchildren could help to mitigate this problem. However, to date, no
      randomized controlled trials have been performed to prevent obesity in schoolchildren during
      the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of a 4-month online
      lifestyle intervention on the BMI Z-score of Mexican schoolchildren during the COVID-19
      pandemic in an intervention group compared to a control group. Methodology: This is a pilot
      randomized controlled trial. Schoolchildren from a public elementary school in Hermosillo,
      Sonora, Mexico will be invited to participate. Participants will be randomized to an
      intervention group (online lifestyle intervention) or a control group. The intervention will
      include online sessions of nutrition education and physical activity and nutrition
      information for parents. The control group will receive a digital brochure with nutrition
      recommendations at the beginning of the study. The measurements will be performed at baseline
      and 4 months. The primary outcome will be the BMI Z- score. Secondary outcomes: waist
      circumference, fat percentage, nutritional knowledge, lifestyle parameters, retention,
      attendance at the program sessions, and acceptability of the intervention. The difference
      between groups in changes in the outcomes will be analyzed using an intention to treat
      analysis. The protocol was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of
      Sonora Nursing Department (EPM-003-2020). Conclusion: The study will provide the first
      evidence of the evaluation of online interventions for the prevention of obesity in
      schoolchildren derived from a Randomized Controlled Trial. This information will be important
      for the development and implementation of other school-level obesity prevention programs
      around the world.
    


Intervention name(s): Online Lifestyle Intervention; Control Group
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Other
Intervention description(s): The intervention will be based on the Planet Nutrition program. This program was previously designed by the present research group and has a handbook that includes nutrition topics, framed by different behavior change strategies. The nutrition education and physical activity sessions will be offered 3 days a week, in the same 1-hour class: 30 minutes for each.
Nutrition education: presentations based on the Planet Nutrition program, a dedicated website, and the Zoom application, will be used to deliver the intervention. The website will be used to upload the nutrition materials and the recorded sessions. Participants will work on self-monitoring of different health behaviors.
Physical activity: The classes will be delivered by the Physical Activity team through the Zoom application. A website will be used to upload the recorded sessions.
Parents participation. The same website and a private Facebook group will be used to upload nutrition information once a week.; They will receive one digital brochure with general information on a healthy diet, at the beginning of the program.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Online; Lifestyle Intervention; Prevention; Childhood Obesity; Nutrition Education; Physical Activity; COVID-19