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Physical Activity Promotion for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Behavior, Chronic Disease and Health Promotion".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 10799

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Francesca Gallè

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Guest Editor

Department of Movement Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Naples “Parthenope”, 80133 Naples, Italy
Interests: public health; epidemiology; infectious diseases prevention; behavioral risk; health promotion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Giuliana Valerio

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Guest Editor

Department of Movement Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Naples “Parthenope”, Via Medina 40, 80133 Naples, Italy
Interests: exercise; health-related physical fitness; childhood obesity treatment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last few decades, the prevalence of obesity has more than doubled in children. Since obese children tend to become obese adults, facing an increased risk of developing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and many other chronic diseases, combating pediatric obesity represents an important public health issue. Physical activity and exercise, together with a healthy diet, are widely recognized to be fundamental tools for the prevention and treatment of obesity and its cardiometabolic consequences. Therefore, several exercise-based interventions have been implemented in different settings to promote physical activity in children. Some of these have also been included by institutions in national or local health promotion programs. Furthermore, a good understanding of the role that impaired physical function and obesity-related stigma play in physical activity and exercise may help us to design treatment strategies tailored to obese youth.

This Special Issue seeks papers considering interventions focused on physical activity for the prevention or the treatment of childhood obesity. Epidemiological, clinical, and cost-effectiveness studies are welcome. High-quality narrative and systematic reviews will also be considered.

Prof. Francesca Gallè
Prof. Giuliana Valerio
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

physical activity
exercise
children
adolescents
overweight
obesity
cardiometabolic risk
insulin resistance
lifestyle
health-related physical fitness
prevention
treatment

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 349 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Children’s and Families’ Determinants of Health-Related Behaviors in an Italian Primary School Sample: The “Seven Days for My Health” Project

by Francesco Sanmarchi, Francesco Esposito, Sofia Marini, Alice Masini, Susan Scrimaglia, Angelo Capodici, Fabrizio Arrichiello, Filippo Ferretti, Marilisa Rangone, Francesca Celenza, Emilia Guberti, Domenico Tiso, Antonello Lorenzini and Laura Dallolio

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(1), 460; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph19010460 - 01 Jan 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1728

Abstract

Childhood obesity is an established health problem, and there is a growing need for health promotion interventions focused on healthy behaviors in collaboration with parents and schools. The Mediterranean diet (MD) could help to tackle obesity, but it is essential to maintain a good level of physical activity (PA) and limit time spent in sedentary activities (ST). To explore family determinants, adherence to the MD and PA levels as potential predictors of a child’s health-related behaviors, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of 368 Italian primary school children with a mean age of 8.95 years (SD = 1.43). Data were collected from May to June 2017 using a weekly diary, an interactive tool to assess the child’s and parents’ lifestyle. The child’s degree of adherence to the MD was calculated using the KIDMED index. Adherence to the MD was high, medium and poor in 5.2%, 62.5% and 32.3% of children, respectively. Higher maternal educational level was positively associated with children’s MD and PA (p < 0.05) and negatively correlated to ST. Maternal fruit and vegetable consumption was positively related to the MD and negatively related to ST (p < 0.05). Maternal PA was positively associated with the MD (p < 0.001). Paternal PA, and fruit and vegetable consumption, were positively associated with children’s PA (p < 0.05). Our results underline the need for future studies, mainly focused on school-based and family-based interventions, to promote healthy lifestyles and nutritional habits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity Promotion for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity)

6 pages, 499 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Validity of the Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children: An Actigraphic Study

by Lorenzo Tonetti, Alicia Carissimi, Marco Fabbri, Marco Filardi, Sara Giovagnoli, Monica Martoni and Vincenzo Natale

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(22), 11900; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph182211900 - 12 Nov 2021

Viewed by 1475

Abstract

This study aimed to provide evidence of the validity of the Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children against an external-objective criterion of the 24 h motor activity pattern assessed through actigraphy. A total of 107 children (60 females; mean age 10.25 ± 0.48) were originally enrolled. Children wore the actigraph model Actiwatch AW64 (Cambridge Neurotechnology Ltd., Fenstanton, UK) for seven days, 24 h per day, around the non-dominant wrist. At the beginning of the actigraphic recording, participants filled in the Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children. Functional Linear Modeling was used to examine variation in the 24 h motor activity pattern according to the total score in the Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children. Higher physical self-efficacy was significantly related to greater levels of motor activity in the afternoon. Overall, this pattern of results supports the validity of the Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children against the external-objective criterion of the 24 h motor pattern. The Perceived Physical Ability Scale for Children could represent a promising endpoint for studies assessing the effectiveness of physical activity promotion interventions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity Promotion for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity)

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12 pages, 360 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Determinants of Health-Related Quality of Life in a Sample of Primary School Children: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

by Alice Masini, Davide Gori, Sofia Marini, Marcello Lanari, Susan Scrimaglia, Francesco Esposito, Francesco Campa, Alessia Grigoletto, Andrea Ceciliani, Stefania Toselli and Laura Dallolio

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(6), 3251; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18063251 - 21 Mar 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2752

Abstract

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in childhood is a multidimensional construct with many sub dimensions of subjective experience, including physical activity (PA), psychological well-being, social interaction, and school performance, that represents a fundamental health outcome to assess a child’s physical and psycho-social functioning. Our study aims to explore the potential predictors of children’s health-related quality of life, using a convenience sample from the Imola Active Break Study (I-MOVE), considering demographic, anthropometric measures, PA level measured by Actigraph accelerometers, parent-reported/self-reported HRQoL, and body image. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted among 151 primary school children in Italy. HRQoL was assessed using the Italian version 4.0 of the Paediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) questionnaire. Results: Children who spent more time partaking in moderate PA were associated with a higher total PedsQL score (p < 0.03). Mother’s body mass index (BMI) was the only variable statistically significant associated with the physical health domain of PedsQL. Parent’s proxy-report perception concerning children’s psychosocial health was statistically relevant. The children’s gender, age, and BMI had no association with any of the HRQoL outcomes. Discussion: Parent proxy-report psychosocial health and mother’s BMI should be considered as predictors of HRQoL for the psychosocial and physical domain. PA should be implemented in order to improve the HRQoL of primary school children. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity Promotion for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity)

Review

Jump to: Research

12 pages, 562 KiB

Open AccessReview

Exergames in Childhood Obesity Treatment: A Systematic Review

by Federica Valeriani, Carmela Protano, Daniela Marotta, Giorgio Liguori, Vincenzo Romano Spica, Giuliana Valerio, Matteo Vitali and Francesca Gallè

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(9), 4938; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ijerph18094938 - 06 May 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3869

Abstract

In the last decade, active video games (exergames) have been proposed in obesity prevention and treatment as a potential tool to increase physical activity. This review was aimed to assess the possible role of exergames in reducing weight-related outcomes among overweight/obese children and/or adolescents. The databases PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and SPORTDiscus were interrogated to detect controlled studies involving healthy overweight/obese children and adolescents in interventions based exclusively on exergames. Out of a total of 648 articles found, 10 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The included studies differ for duration, setting and type of intervention, frequency of active game sessions, and outcomes considered. Seven out of ten studies reported better outcomes in children/adolescents involved in the interventions, with significant differences between groups in four, while three studies found better outcomes in control groups. These results suggest a possible positive effect of active video games on weight-related outcomes in obese children and adolescents. However, further research is still needed to define if they can be effectively used in childhood obesity treatment and which may be the most effective approach. The potentiality of the new digital media in this field should be explored. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physical Activity Promotion for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity)

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