A Twelve-Week Lifestyle Program to Improve Cardiometabolic, Behavioral, and Psychological Health in Hispanic Children and Adolescents.

Objectives: To examine the effectiveness of a 12-week lifestyle program on cardiometabolic, behavioral, and psychological outcomes among overweight Hispanic children and adolescents. Design: A case series study with pre- and post-test analyses. Subjects/Settings/Location: A convenience sample of high-risk pediatric primary care patients ( n = 22; 6 girls, 16 boys; M age = 11.73 ± 1.39 years) and their guardians in the Southeast United States. Intervention: Twice per week 60 min (total of 24 h) of moderate-to-vigorous intensity boxing exercise training, 12 h of nutrition education for guardians, and a 30-min pediatrician appointment. Outcome measures: Cardiometabolic (height [m], weight [kg], waist circumference [cm], body-mass index [BMI], BMI-z, BMI%, cholesterol [mg/dL], triglycerides [mg/dL], glucose [mg/dL], and low-density lipoprotein and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [mg/dL]), behavioral (objective free time physical activity [PA] and sedentary time [min/day]), and psychological (self-determined exercise motivation) outcomes were measured/calculated, and paired-samples t-tests were conducted. Results: A significant reduction was observed in waist circumference t(17) = −2.57, p = 0.020, d = 0.64; BMI% t(15) = −2.53, p = 0.023, d = 0.20; fasting glucose t(15) = −6.43, p < 0.001, d = 1.67; and amotivation (−) t(17) = −2.29, p = 0.036, d = 0.64; whereas a significant increase was identified in moderate t(10) = 4.01, p = 0.002, d = 1.23 and vigorous t(10) = 3.41, p = 0.007, d = 1.07 intensity PA; intrinsic motivation t(17) = 2.71, p = 0.015, d = 0.38; and introjected regulation t(17) = 2.74, p = 0.014, d = 0.64. Conclusions: A 12-week lifestyle program can be effective in improving selected health markers among overweight Hispanic children and adolescents. The positive changes in fasting glucose, BMI, and waist suggest that the participants are currently at lower risk for both type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease as a result of the Confidence, Ownership, Responsibility, and Exercise program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine is the property of Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)