The Cuenca study has been monitoring the cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) in schoolchildren between the ages of 8 and 12 in that city since 1992. Accordingly, a rather paradoxical phenomenon has been observed, namely that whereas the blood lipid levels and arterial pressure in children of this age improved, the number of overweight/obese children continued to grow.
Our data and the revised empirical evidence suggested to us that it was therefore necessary to intervene in some way to combat this increasingly important epidemic.
Principal objective
- To evaluate the efficacy of a strategy to promote physical activity (PA) in a school environment to reduce CVRFs and the prevalence of overweight/obese children.
Secondary objectives
- To evaluate the efficacy of this free time physical activity (FTPA) strategy in reducing diastolic and systolic arterial blood pressure.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of this FTPA strategy in improving the physical condition of the children.
- To realise a cost-effect analysis of this FTPA strategy.
- To estimate the prevalence of overweight/obese children in the school population between 8 and 12 years-of-age in Cuenca.
- To analyse the relationship between quality of life and a child being overweight/obese.
1. To reduce the prevalence of overweight/obese children in the intervention group by 6% with respect to the control group.
2. To increase the level of Apo A-I in the intervention group by 8% with respect to the control group.
Hermanos Amoros Fernández school (Las Mesas). Blood-extraction test
Hermanos Amoros Fernández school (Las Mesas). Body fat test.
Twenty primary schools with at least one full fourth and fifth year were selected in the province of Cuenca. These were divided randomly into two groups: the 10 schools in the intervention group undertook an FTPA program (MOVI), whereas the 10 schools in the control group carried on as normal.
Three measurements were taken in all of the schools, namely a base measurement in October 2004, a second one in May 2005 and the last in May 2006, where the following tests were performed on all the children who agreed to take part:
- Weight
- Height
- BMI
- Percentage body fat
- Thickness of the tricipital cutaneous fold
- Lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglycerides, Apo A-I, Apo B,...)
- Systolic and diastolic arterial pressure
- Quality of life (determined by a Child Health and Illness Profile, Child Edition questionnaire - CHIP-CE)
- Level of physical activity (determined by School Children Fisical Activity Questionnaire - SCFAQ; in spanish, CAF-PE)
- Physical condition
- Caloric burn
Analysis of the data from the first year allowed us to conclude the following regarding our FTPA program:
1. It has been effective in reducing the number of overweight/obese children by 6% in girls and 2% in boys.
2. It has been effective in improving the lipid profile.
4. Finally, our project has demonstrated that this type of program is feasible, is easy to follow and has a reasonable cost.
Consult the articles Published.
@2008. Social and Health Care Research Center, University of Castilla-La Mancha