Program Obesity Zero (POZ) – a community-based intervention to address overweight primary-school children from five Portuguese municipalities

Objective Results of the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative indicated that on average one out of four primary-school children is overweight or obese. Portugal presented one of the highest prevalences of obesity. Childhood obesity prevention and treatment should be a top priority. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Program Obesity Zero (POZ), a multi-component, community-, family- and school-based childhood obesity intervention. Design Parents and children attended four individual nutrition and physical activity counselling sessions, a one-day healthy cooking workshop and two school extracurricular sessions of nutrition education. Waist circumference, BMI, physical activity level, sedentary behaviours, and nutrition and physical activity knowledge, attitudes and behaviour were assessed at baseline and after 6 months. Diet was assessed using two 24 h recalls, at baseline and at 6 months. Setting Five Portuguese municipalities and local communities. Subjects Two hundred and sixty-six overweight children (BMI ≥ 85th percentile) aged 6–10 years, from low-income families in five Portuguese municipalities, were assigned to the intervention. Results Children showed reductions in waist circumference (−2·0 cm; P 2 ; P P Conclusions The findings suggested that POZ is a promising intervention programme, at municipality level, to tackle childhood overweight and obesity

Body mass index · Childhood obesity · Intervention (counseling · Obesity · Overweight · Percentile · Physical therapy · Portuguese · Waist · Demography · Health and Lifestyle Studies · Medicine · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Physical Activity and Health · Gerontology · Internal Medicine · Pediatrics

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