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Two-year follow-up of an obesity prevention initiative in children: the APPLE project^1,2,3

¹ From the Edgar National Centre for Diabetes Research (RWT, KAM, VLF, and JIM) and the Departments of Human Nutrition (WB and JIM) and Preventive and Social Medicine (SMW), University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

Background:In a 2-y intervention targeting increased physical activity and healthy eating in primary school children, the adjusted body mass index (BMI) z score was 0.26 units (95% CI: 0.21, 0.32) lower in intervention than in control children. Few obesity prevention initiatives in children have undertaken follow-up analyses.

Objective:The objective was to determine whether differences in BMI persisted 2 y after the cessation of the intervention.

Design:All children who had at least one measurement of height and weight at any time during the study (baseline and years 1 or 2) were invited to participate in follow-up measurements (height and weight).

Results:Five hundred fifty-four of 727 eligible children (76%) participated. Children who refused to participate (n = 14) or had moved from the study area (n = 159) did not differ from the remaining participants in baseline age, sex, or BMI. The mean BMI z score (and 95% CI) remained significantly lower in intervention children at follow-up in the whole group (n = 554; –0.17; –0.25, –0.08) and in the group who underwent at least 1 (n = 389; –0.19; –0.24, –0.13) or 2 (n = 256; –0.21; –0.29, –0.14) full years of intervention. Intervention children were less likely to be overweight, but only in those who were present for the full intervention (n = 256; RR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.69, 0.94).

Conclusion:Despite the main intervention initiative (school-based activity coordinators charged with the responsibility of enhancing physical activity and promoting healthy eating) being discontinued at the end of the intervention, continued benefits to BMI remained apparent in intervention children 2 y later.