/academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/78/5/1030/4677487Somebody said...
Background: Childhood obesity is a major public health problem in the United States, particularly among American Indian communities.
Objective: The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of a school-based, multicomponent intervention for reducing percentage body fat in American Indian schoolchildren.
Design: This study was a randomized, controlled, school-based trial involving 1704 children in 41 schools and was conducted over 3 consecutive years, from 3rd to 5th grades.................................
The intervention had 4 components: 1) change in dietary intake, 2) increase in physical activity, 3) a classroom curriculum focused on healthy eating and lifestyle, and 4) a family-involvement program. The main outcome was percentage body fat; other outcomes included dietary intake, physical activity, and knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.
Results: The intervention resulted in no significant reduction in percentage body fat. However, a significant reduction in the percentage of energy from fat was observed in the intervention schools. Total energy intake (by 24-h dietary recall) was significantly reduced in the intervention schools but energy intake (by direct observation) was not. Motion sensor data showed similar activity levels in both the intervention and control schools. Several components of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors were also positively and significantly changed by the intervention.
Conclusions: These results document the feasibility of implementing a multicomponent program for obesity prevention in elementary schools serving American Indian communities. The program produced significant positive changes in fat intake and in food- and health-related knowledge and behaviors. More intense or longer interventions may be needed to significantly reduce adiposity in this population..............
Do Y'all see that? Earlier in another thread I said something about
how hard it is for these entrenched beliefs of our medical and governmental authorities, sometimes almost like faith, to be changed. So they reduced calories, increased movement, and reduced fat.
AND IT DID NOT WORK, NOT ONE BIT!But does that give them pause? Not at all. The conclusion is that much good was still accomplished because "a significant reduction in the percentage of energy from fat was observed in the intervention schools. Total energy intake (by 24-h dietary recall) was significantly reduced ...". It may not have had any physical results, but as long as they got them to eat less fat, then they have accomplished one of their goals and a greater good.
% of body fat increased a lot IN BOTH GROUPS, by about
22.8% in the intervention group, but by only 20% in the group that did nothing! The group that did nothing started a little fatter, but ended a little less fat than the intervention(low cal/low fat) group. Nonsignificant for sure, but why wasn't it nonsignificant in favor of the lower fat, lower calorie diet group? Mean calories at follow up in the intervention group were 1892, and 2157 in the control group. So 265 FEWER calories in the intervention group, AND lower fat! But no benefit as far as weight goes. The control group ate 14% more calories and also 15% more fat, but actually ended up a smidgen less fat than the intervention group. Boy, I bet the authors were shocked.
Somebody said...
A general aim of the Pathways Study was to implement a multicomponent school-based intervention for the primary prevention of obesity in public schools serving American Indian communities..
Didn't work, not even a tiny it.
Somebody said...
Thus, instead of targeting calories, our food service intervention aimed at reducing the energy density of foods by reducing their fat content and at increasing the availability of less energy-dense foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables. These changes resulted in a significantly lower percentage of energy as fat at lunch in the intervention schools than in the control schools: 28.2% compared with 32.4%
Didn't work, not in the least.
So they got no results for reducing obesity, nor diabetes, I will bet money. And what conclusion do they draw from this?
Somebody said...
These results document the feasibility of implementing a multicomponent program for obesity prevention in elementary schools serving American Indian communities. The program produced significant positive changes in fat intake and in food- and health-related knowledge and behaviors. More intense or longer interventions may be needed to significantly reduce adiposity in this population.
This was a 3 year study. But they conclude more time is needed for it to work. I have a different conclusion than these brainy researchers do: their approach does not work. Maybe try an opposite approach?