A School-based Health Center Study for Behavioral Management of
Overweight/Obese AdolescentsNovember 18, 2009
Signature Program for Child Health Research
Alberta S. Kong, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
Background 30% of obese US teens meet criteria for the
metabolic syndrome (MetSyn). Research shows that reducing dietary sugar and fat
and increasing exercise are crucial to managing MetSyn, yet few lifestyle intervention studies exist to address the increasing prevalence of MetSyn in teens.
Promising strategies for intervention work include: Targeting locations where adolescents spend the
majority of their time Motivational interviewing Use of media
To date, little is known about the use of SBHC with overweight/obese students.
Adolescents Committed to Improvement of Nutrition and Physical Activity R21 HL092533 NIH/NHLBI
Use Community-based Participatory Research approach to create SBHC intervention
Test SBHC intervention Collect formative research data on
sustainable school mechanisms to support high school students in achieving a healthier lifestyle in preparation of a school-wide intervention
Methods (Phase 1: Formative Research)
Create strategies for DVD and provider toolkit.
7 semi-structured interviews with OW/OB teens and 8 semi-structured interviews with parents of OW/OB teensfrom two participating high schools
ACTION Advisory Council: 7 OW/OB teens and 5 parents of OW/OB teens
DVD and Clinician Toolkit
Methods (Phase 2: ACTION Trial)
SBHC provider trained in Motivational Interviewing and use of created strategies
Recruited 30 OW/OB students/parents from Intervention HS and 29 OW/OB students/parents from Control HS
Intervention: 8 clinical encounters with SBHC providers
Control: Usual care with self-help materials
Data collection: Demographics, health history, stage of change, self efficacy, glucose/insulin/lipids, BMI/waist, BIA, BP, YAQ, 24 hour diet recall, 3dPAR & RT3 at baseline (Sept. 2009), post-intervention (April 2010), and after summer (August 2010)