The effectiveness of the HOPS/OWG school-based obesity intervention program

¶ … Multi-level, Multi-sector, School-based Obesity Prevention Programming Improves Weight, Blood Pressure, and Academic Performance, Especially among Low-Income, Minority Children

This research project conducted by Hollar et. al (2010) assesses the effectiveness of multiple interventions in addressing childhood onset obesity. The authors describe the project, Healthier Options for Public School Children/Organ Wise Guys (HOPS/OWG), as a quasi-experimental pilot study as being designed to keep children at normal, healthy weight, and improve health status and academic performance. The study involved five elementary schools in Florida, four intervention schools and one control school, and 3,769 subjects. It was conducted over a two-year period from 2004 to 2006.

The HOPS/OWG interventions included (1) modified dietary offering, (2) nutritional / lifestyle education, (3) a physical activity component, and wellness projects. Data collected over the course of the study included demographic, anthropometric (body mass index [BMI]), blood pressure, and academic progress. The authors concluded that "holistic school-based obesity interventions can improve health outcomes and academic performance in particular among high risk populations" (Hollar et.al 2010 p. 93-94).

Discussion

Thought the study incorporated a large number of research subjects it was limited by geography, involving just one school district in Florida, and only one control school. Extended periods of time out of school, such as holidays and summer vacation, compromised study control over eating and physical activity, making consistent implementation of interventions impossible.

Another factor compromising the quality of collected data is the inconsistency in calibration of blood pressure measuring equipment and the variation of expertise of the technicians collecting this data. Poor equipment and/or inaccurate readings in one location may have skewed the data, rendering comparisons with other locations meaningless.

Furthermore, the nutritional and healthy lifestyle curriculum and physical activity components did not gather information with regards to intervention exposure. This compromise's the assessment of its effectiveness in comparison to the curriculum received in the control school as part of the regular education program.

A number of additional factors may have led to the academic gains of the students. Under the current provisions of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) all schools are required to maintain continuous improvement in all academic areas in order to meet state and federal standards. Knowing that students in minority and low socio-economic groups have in the past traditionally scored lower on state adopted achievement tests, most school districts allot extra time and resources to improve their test scores. Furthermore, variation in teacher competencies from facility to facility and even year to year may also compromise accurate assessment of the effectiveness of the interventions in this area.

Reference List

Hollar, D, Lombardo, M, Lopez-Mitnik, G, Hollar, TL, Almon, M, Agatston, AS & Messiah, SE 2010, 'Effective multi-level, multi-sector, school-based obesity prevention programming improves weight, blood pressure, and academic performance, especially among low-income, minority children', Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 21, pp. 93-108.

Martin, J, Burke, SM, Shapiro, S, Carron, AV, Irwin, JD, Petrella, R, Prapavessis, H, Shoemaker, K 2009,'The use of group dynamics to enhance cohesion in a lifestyle intervention program for obese children', BMC public health, Vol. 9, July, pp. 277-287, viewed 17 June 2011,