%0 Journal Article
%T Behavioral counseling to prevent childhood obesity ¨C study protocol of a pragmatic trial in maternity and child health care
%A Taina Mustila
%A P£¿ivi Keskinen
%A Riitta Luoto
%J BMC Pediatrics
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2431-12-93
%X A non-randomized controlled pragmatic trial in maternity and child health care clinics. The control group was recruited among families who visited the same clinics one year earlier. Eligibility criteria was mother at risk for gestational diabetes: body mass index£¿¡Ý£¿25£¿kg/m2, macrosomic newborn in any previous pregnancy, immediate family history of diabetes and/or age£¿¡Ý£¿40£¿years. All maternity clinics in town involved in recruitment. The gestational intervention consisted of individual counseling on diet and physical activity by a public health nurse, and of two group counseling sessions. Intervention continues until offspring¡¯s age of five years. An option to participate a group counseling at child¡¯s age 1 to 2£¿years was offered. The intervention includes advice on healthy diet, physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleeping pattern. The main outcome measure is offspring BMI z-score and its changes by the age of six years.Early childhood is a critical time period for prevention of obesity. Pragmatic trials targeting this period are necessary in order to find effective obesity prevention programs feasible in normal health care practice.Clinical Trials gov NCT00970710Obesity remains a worldwide costly health concern although the increase in prevalence of childhood obesity seems to be abating at least in some western countries [1,2]. Childhood obesity has several adverse outcomes during childhood, and since it often continues to adulthood, it increases cardiovascular morbidity among other health concerns in adult life [3,4]. Genetic susceptibility is a strong determinant for risk of being an obese child, but environment already starts to play a role during fetal life, infancy and preschool years [5-8] Once a child is obese it is difficult to reverse this adverse metabolic state with interventions [9]. This supports the rationale to find early preventive interventions. Since childhood obesity is a common health problem and concerns the whole community, the preventiv
%K Childhood obesity
%K Intervention
%K Lifestyle
%K Pragmatic
%K Prevention
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2431/12/93