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Behavioral counselling to prevent childhood obesity - study protocol of a pragmatic trial in maternity and child health care Full Text
BMC Pediatrics, 07/06/2012
Mustila T et al. – Early childhood is a critical time period for prevention of obesity. Pragmatic trials targeting this period are necessary in order to find effective obesity prevention programs feasible in normal health care practice.
Methods- A non-randomized controlled pragmatic trial in maternity and child health care clinics.
- The control group was recruited among families who visited the same clinics one year earlier.
- Eligibility criteria was mother at risk for gestational diabetes: body mass index [greater than or equal to] 25 kg/m2, macrosomic newborn in any previous pregnancy, immediate family history of diabetes and/or age [greater than or equal to] 40 years.
- All maternity clinics in town involved in recruitment. The gestational intervention consisted of individual counselling on diet and physical activity by a public health nurse, and of two group counselling sessions.
- Intervention continues until offspring's age of five years.
- An option to participate a group counselling at child's age 1 to 2 years was offered. The intervention includes advice on healthy diet, physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleeping pattern.
- The main outcome measure is offspring BMI z-score and its changes at the age of six years.
