[Effect of counselling school teachers on healthy lifestyle on the impact of a program to reduce childhood obesity].
BACKGROUND
In 2007, a preventive strategy for childhood obesity, that included food education and an increase in physical activity, was implemented in seven public schools located in Santiago. In four of these schools, a counseling program about healthy lifestyles for teachers was also carried out.


OBJECTIVE
To test if counseling had an effect in the intervention for children.


METHODS
Anthropometric measures were assessed in children at baseline and after two years of intervention. Teachers were also evaluated with anthropometry and a blood sample was obtained to measure blood glucose and serum lipids.


RESULTS
Four hundred twelve children from schools whose teachers had counseling and 237 children from schools whose teachers did not have it were evaluated. Twenty-eight teachers with and 19 with no counseling were assessed. In children, the overall prevalence of obesity decreased from 20.2 to 18.3% (p = 0.03). This reduction was only significant among females. BMIZ score decreased significantly in children of both genders. No effect of counseling was observed on weight reduction. Among teachers that received counseling, the prevalence of obesity decreased from 25 to 22.4%, with significant improvements in blood glucose and HDL cholesterol.


CONCLUSIONS
Counseling directed at teachers did not improve the effect of a program to reduce obesity among schoolchildren.
Kain
Juliana
J
Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile. jkain@inta.cl
Leyton
Bárbara
B
Concha
Fernando
F
Salazar
Gabriela
G
Lobos
Luz
L
Vio
Fernando
F
D002648:Child; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010809:Physical Fitness; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012572:School Health Services