title: Making a Difference in Migrant Summer School: Testing a Healthy Weight Intervention.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluate the effectiveness of a healthy weight intervention designed for children of migrant farmworkers embedded in a 7-week summer Midwest Migrant Education Program (MEP) for changes in: weight; Body Mass Index (BMI); BMI-percentiles (BMI-p); muscle strength and muscle flexibility; nutrition knowledge; attitudes; and behaviors.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a two-group pre-post quasi-experimental study. Latino children of migrant farmworkers attending summer MEP in grades one through eight were enrolled (n = 171: comparison n = 33, intervention n = 138).
  
  
  METHODS
  Weight, BMI, BMI-p, muscle strength and flexibility, knowledge, and healthy behaviors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Classroom content included: food variety; increasing fruits and vegetables; healthy breakfasts; more family meals; increasing family time; decreasing TV and electronic game time; increasing physical activity; limiting sugar-sweetened drinks; portion sizes; and food labels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistically significant were increase in comparison group mean weight, decrease in intervention group BMI-p, and improvements in muscle flexibility and healthy behavior attitudes. The intervention students showed trends toward healthy BMI. The number of MEP days attended was significantly correlated in four outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Study findings have the potential to decrease incidence of unhealthy weight in Latino migrant children, reduce rates of premature adult diseases in these children, and a potential to decrease future health care costs.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
authors.forename: Jill F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Kilanowski
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Nahida H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Gordon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000383:Agriculture; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / Q000208:ethnology; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053580:Muscle Strength; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012572:School Health Services; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014171:Transients and Migrants / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: child health; migrant farmworker; obesity