Play as a Method to Reduce Overweight and Obesity in Children: An RCT

Antonio Manuel Sánchez-López, María José Menor-Rodríguez, Juan Carlos Sánchez-García and María José Aguilar-Cordero
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Antonio Manuel Sánchez-López: Department of Human Motricity and Sports Performance, University of Seville, 41004 Seville, Spain
María José Menor-Rodríguez: Research group CTS 367, Andalusia, Spain
Juan Carlos Sánchez-García: Research group CTS 367, Andalusia, Spain
María José Aguilar-Cordero: Research group CTS 367, Andalusia, Spain

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Background: Overweight and obesity are the result of a complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors, which begins prenatally. Aim: To analyse an intervention based on play as a means of improving the body composition of children who are overweight or obese. Methods: The Kids-Play study is a randomized clinical trial (RCT) consisting of 49 children aged 8–12 years on a nine-month intervention programme based on physical activity, play and nutritional advice. Controls had another 49 children, who received only nutritional advice. Results: The play-based intervention achieved a moderate-vigorous level of physical activity in the study group of 81.18 min per day, while the corresponding level for the control group was only 37.34 min. At the start of the intervention, the children in the study group had an average body fat content of 41.66%, a level that decreased to 38.85% by the end of the programme. Among the control group, body fat increased from 38.83% to 41.4% during the same period. Conclusions: The intervention programme considered, based on both play and nutritional recommendations, produced a decrease in body fat among children aged 8–12 years. However, the control group, which received only nutritional recommendations, experienced an increase in body weight.

Keywords: obesity; play; physical activity; body composition; accelerometry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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