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conferenceseries
.com
Volume 7, Issue 3 (Suppl)
J Obes Weight Loss Ther, an open access journal
ISSN: 2165-7904
Childhood Obesity & Bariatric Surgery 2017
June 12-13, 2017
June 12-13, 2017 Rome, Italy
&
Childhood Obesity and Nutrition
10
th
International Conference on
Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
2
nd
International Conference on
JOINT EVENT
The effectiveness of the ‘way to go kids’ programme for children who are overweight and underactive
Elaine Shea
University of Chester, UK
Statement of Problem:
Childhood overweight and obesity has become an epidemic health issue in today’s society with one in four
children (nine, seven and as young as three years of age) are overweight or obese in Ireland. The cost of treating obesity in Ireland
is costly and has a huge economic impact. ‘Way to go kids’ is a nutrition and fitness education programme designed to support
overweight children in developing the skills needed to adopt a healthy lifestyle. ‘Way to go kids’ was adapted from an American
programme and redesigned by the author from Limerick Sports Partnership and by Limerick Health Service Executive to meet the
needs of Irish children. The Irish ‘way to go kids’ is the first national programme to target overweight children and childhood obesity
in Ireland. This report is the first review of the effectiveness of the Irish ‘way to go kids’ programme.
Methodology & Theoretical Orientation:
24 overweight/obese children (9-12years) and their parents were recruited for this study.
12 participants’ weight and fitness levels before and after the ‘way to go kids’ programme was compared to 12 participants of a similar
stature in a control group who did not participate in the programme. Pre and post questionnaires were also carried out to investigate
if the ‘way to go kids' programme improves participants' knowledge, confidence, attitudes and behaviors in relation to nutrition,
physical activity and weight.
Findings:
Results revealed that participants who completed the ‘way to go kids’ programme lost weight, decreasedwaist circumference,
decreased BMI, improved muscle strength, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, lung capacity and flexibility. ‘Way to go
kids’ participants also showed an increase in knowledge and confidence, and positive changes in attitude and behaviors in relation to
nutrition, physical activity and weight.
Conclusion & Significance:
Due to the small scale of this study, some of the results did not reach statistical significance. However,
indication of clinically different changes were identified which may have become statistically significant if the study had continued
for a longer timeframe.
Biography
Elaine Shea has her expertise in Exercise and Nutrition Science with her Master’s Degree at University of Chester in 2016. She received a distinction in her
Master’s project titled “The effectiveness of the ‘way to go kids’ programme for children who are overweight and underactive”. As a Sports Development Officer for
Limerick Sports Partnership, she redesigned the ‘way to go kids’ programme and manual along with Limerick Health Service Executive which was adapted from an
American programme to meet the needs of Irish children.
eshea@limericksports.ieElaine Shea, J Obes Weight Loss Ther 2017, 7:3 (Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2165-7904-C1-045