SALTO - Study Protocol and Rationale of a Community-Oriented Obesity Prevention Program in the Kindergarten

Background: The prevalence of early childhood overweight and obesity in Austria has reached average European levels of 20% in boys and 18% in girls. The rationale and study protocol of SALTO, Salzburg Together against Obesity will be presented, which is aimed to assist adults in increasing the rate...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Susanne Ring-Dimitriou, Thomas Freudenthaler, Verena Aistleitner, Gertrude Horvath, Julia Stallinger, Minas Dimitriou, Elisabeth Ardelt-Gattinger, Daniel Weghuber
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Karger Publishers 2018-06-01
Series:Obesity Facts
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/481139
Description
Summary:Background: The prevalence of early childhood overweight and obesity in Austria has reached average European levels of 20% in boys and 18% in girls. The rationale and study protocol of SALTO, Salzburg Together against Obesity will be presented, which is aimed to assist adults in increasing the rate of 4- to 6-year-old children with a healthy body weight. Methods: A controlled longitudinal sequential study design consisting of 14 intervention (IK) and 8 control (CK) kindergarten was used to investigate the effect of actions tailored for teachers and parents on BMI among 4- to 6-year-old children. The study launched in November 2014 was approved by the ethics committee of the University of Salzburg. Results: 681 children, 181 parents (119 mothers, 62 fathers) and 30 teachers were investigated until October 2016. Preliminary analyses revealed that more boys (19%) and fathers (60% IK, 43% CK) were overweight and obese than girls (16%) and mothers (19% IK, 20% CK). Conclusion: The challenges faced by the SALTO staff in the implementation of health-promoting actions in the kindergarten are manifold. The Community-Oriented Core Setting (COCS) intervention approach will show whether the actions will reduce the percentage of obesity and be sustainable in the long term.
ISSN:1662-4025
1662-4033