RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Benefits of exercise to prevent non-communicable diseases are well-documented. Limited data exists to promote physical activity in healthy but sedentary and/or overweight people. Brief interventions within routine German health checks may be an effective way to reach these patients. METHODS/DESIGN: The quasi-experimental, multi-center prospective feasibility study is designed for general practices in Cologne (intervention group) and Düsseldorf (control group), up to 20 per region. Eight to 10 inactive and/or overweight patients per practice will be recruited for a total of 300. General practitioners and at least one of their nurses for the intervention group will be trained in motivational interviewing and familiarized with low-threshold recommendations for exercise (activities of daily life (ADL), target of 10,000 steps/day) and additional tools (pedometers, activity diaries). Participants in the control group will only receive general advice (150 min of exercise/week). The primary aims are to evaluate the feasibility of this intervention and to determine whether it is possible to reach a mean increase of 1000 steps/day in the target group within 6 months. Secondary objectives focus on the number of patients who reach a target of 10,000 steps/day and their improvements in quality of life and decrease in body mass index, waist circumference, and blood pressure. DISCUSSION: The study will assess whether it is feasible to run brief interventions within the GP setting can promote an active lifestyle in overweight and/or inactive patients.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are already on the rise in early childhood years. The relationships between genetic factors, malnutrition and physical inactivity are the underlying mechanisms. In this study, we examine the association between body indices, motor abilities and active (sport) and passive (television/computer) leisure time activities in a cohort of first-grade pupils. METHODS: The study group consisted of 344 children (51.5% male, 48.5% female). They were 6.8+/-0.4 years old, height was 123.9+/-4.9 cm, weight 24.8+/-5.0 kg, body mass index (BMI) 16.1+/-2.3 kg/m. After determination of the anthropometric data, a fitness test was performed in order to determine motor abilities. Parents were questioned about their children's leisure time activities, using a standardized questionnaire. Differences between BMI groups were evaluated using multivariate ANCOVA, adjusted for gender and age. RESULTS: Based on German BMI references, overweight and obesity were found in 12% of the children. They had poorer results with respect to endurance (P<0.001), leg strength (P=0.002), co-ordination and balance (P=0.045) and spent more leisure time in watching television and at the computer (each P<0.001). No differences were found between their active leisure habits such as club sports. DISCUSSION: Our examinations with first-grade children show no differences in active leisure habits between obese children and their counterparts, although the former had poorer results in motor abilities, but they spend more time on sedentary leisure habits like audiovisual media. A possible explanation is their fewer regular daily activities.
