Effect of Comprehensive Health Promotion Program on Quality of Life, Weight, and Physical Activity among Iranian Overweight School-age Girls

Background Prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and its trend in recent years has taken a worrying figure. Overweight in childhood is the most important cause of adulthood obesity. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of comprehensive health program on quality of life, weight and physical activity in Iranian overweight school-age girls. Materials and Methods In this quasi-experimental study, 80 overweight girls participated in a comprehensive health program for 12 weeks in 2014. The participants were randomly selected and were assigned to intervention (n=40), and control (n=40) groups. Quality of life, weight, and physical activity scores were measured in both groups before and after the program. The data were collected by using the general quality of life questionnaire Pediatric Health-Related Quality of Life (Ped- sQL4.0) in two forms (child and parent self-report), physical activity checklist, and a Digital Stadiometer. Then in the intervention group, comprehensive health program including three stages assessment, supportive planning and evaluation was administered for three months. Data were analyzed by the SPSS version 22.0 software. Results The results showed no significant differences between the two groups in terms of demographic characteristics, weight, physical activity, and quality of life, before intervention (P>0.05). However, statistically significant difference was found between the two groups regarding changes in body weight, body mass index (BMI), physical activity scores, and quality of life, before and after intervention (P<0.05). Conclusion Implementation of a comprehensive health program by school nurses can decrease the growing trend of overweight and increase the quality of life and physical activity among children.