Effects of Obesity Management Program for Obese Elementary School Children

Kim, Hee Kyung; Lee, Hyun Ju

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of a obesity management program on BMI, body composition, knowledge, perception and attitudes, mood and exercise habits in obese elementary school children with the goal of developing nursing interventions to promote a healthy lifestyle. Method: The study used a pre-experimental design with a one-group pre-post test. The content of the 8-week obesity management program included obesity education, diet control education, behavioral modification education, counseling, hand-reflexo massage, and exercise. Participants were 36 obese children who were students in elementary schools in K city. Data collection was done from October 4th to November 28th, 2005. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired t-test.
RESULTS
After the students received the obesity management program, their BMI scores were significantly lowered, and scores for mood and excercise habits were significantly improved.
CONCLUSION
The results show this obesity management program is effective in changing the BMI, mood, and behavioral modifications in obese students. The results suggest that this program be utilized to manage obesity in obese children, and that this study be replicated to compare an experimental group with a control group in order to verify the effects of the obesity management program.