The Effectiveness of a Health Promotion Program in 5th-6th Grade Children in Beit Dagan - Second Year Follow Up

Background: Overweight children are more likely to become adults with health problems. Only few studies examined the long-term effects of interventions aimed to improve childrens’ health habits and prevent overweight.

Methods: This is a second year follow-up after one year of intervention study. The intervention group included 106 5th-6th grade children from secular and religious schools in Beit Dagan. The control group comprised 111 children from schools in other cities. Health knowledge, attitude and behavior questionnaires were filled by the children, their parents and teachers at the beginning and the end of the school year. Children’s height, weight and fat percentage were measured.

Results: 78% of the children in the intervention group and 75% of the control group were in the normal weight percentile (5-84th). The decrease in overweight and obesity prevalence at the first year of intervention was not maintained in the follow-up second year. Mean leisure time activity was higher in the intervention group compared to the control group at the end of the second year (P<0.01). Health knowledge increased in the intervention group (P<0.01), with no change in the control group (p=0.32). In both groups no change was noted in health behaviors.

Discussion and Conclusions: A community-based health intervention contributed to increase physical activity and knowledge in 5th-6th grade children at the follow-up second year of an intervention. However, it is not sufficient to preserve behavioral changes nor to maintain the improvement in overweight and obesity prevalence. Ongoing active health education is essential to assimilate health changes.