title: Nutrition and youth soccer for childhood overweight: a pilot novel chiropractic health education intervention.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this pilot novel chiropractic health education intervention was to gather preliminary evidence regarding possible benefits from recreational youth soccer and nutrition education in overweight women. A secondary purpose was to determine whether some nutrition knowledge is an independent predictor of changes in body mass index (BMI).
  
  
  METHODS
  A quiz developed and validated on separate age and sex appropriate blinded cohorts was used on study participants-22 volunteers of 57 eligible fourth-grade, overweight female Mississippi public school students. At the beginning of a 5-month study period, a 15-minute baseline nutrition intervention, grounded in Social Cognitive Theory and based on the United States Department of Agriculture's "My Tips for Families" information, was applied in a chiropractic clinic. Subjects were then randomized to 2 months of recreational soccer (n = 14) or waiting list control (n = 8).
  
  
  RESULTS
  No preintervention differences were found in height, weight, BMI, or age. Higher follow-up BMI scores were found in both groups, and no significant differences between groups were found, possibly because of the small sample sizes and the short 8-week soccer intervention period. Gains in nutrition knowledge were sustained (P < .002); however, there was no association between nutrition knowledge and follow-up BMI (r = -.185; P < .462).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Minimal nutrition education alone may be an ineffective intervention for overweight children. The study provides an example of how youth soccer may benefit overweight children.
authors: Leach Chiropractic Clinic, Starkville, Mississippi, USA. rl@drleach.com
authors: Robert A
authors: RA
authors: Leach
authors: Joyce M
authors: JM
authors: Yates
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008922:Mississippi; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D050177:Overweight / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012916:Soccer