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The Effect of Dietary Behavior Modification on Anthropometric Indices in Obese Adolescent Female Students
Sabet-Sarvestani, Raheleh; Kargar, Marziye; Kave, Mohamad-Hossein & Tabatabaee, Hamidreza
Abstract
Objective:
Obesity is currently the most prevalent nutritional disease of children and adolescents,
prevention and treatment of which, is required. The purpose of this study was to identify the effect
of dietary behavior modification on anthropometric indices in the obese adolescent female students
of Shiraz, 2007.
Methods:
In this Quasi-experimental research, 53 obese adolescent girls (BMI>95th percentile),
aged 11 to 15 years, participated in a behavior modification program which lasted for 16 weeks (4
hours each week). The Subjects were chosen from two different schools and were assigned to two
groups of experimental (=24) and control (=29) randomly. The Program included teaching
problem solving, stress management (yoga), teaching healthy eating, physical behavior and parent
education. Anthropometric indices were assessed just before and after the program and also two
months later for follow up. The data were analyzed by SPSS 11.5 by using descriptive and analytic
test and the statistical significance was considered at P<0.05.
Findings:
There were significant differences in changes in body weight (-2.75 kg vs. 0.62 kg),
BMI (-1.07 kg/m2 vs. 0.24 kg/m2) and arm circumference (-2.31 cm vs. 0.5 cm) in the
experimental versus the control group (P<0.001).
Conclusion:
This study reveals that behavioral modification program has a great effect on
decreasing the body mass index. Parents, school nurses and other support groups should be
encouraged to participate in this program.
Keywords
Obesity; Behavior modification program; Anthropometric indices; Adolescent
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