Abstract
Background:
Childhood overweight and obesity are increasing public health concerns internationally, contributing to significant long-term health risks. School-based interventions integrating policy and behavioural strategies are needed to address this issue.
Objectives:
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a school-based intervention informed by the Thailand Healthy Living Strategy (THLS) for weight control and obesity prevention among school-age children.
Design:
Cluster randomised controlled trial.
Setting:
Eight primary schools located in Northeastern Thailand.
Methods:
A total of 214 students were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention consisted of five structured education sessions delivered over a 3-month period but also included policy development and parental engagement. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire at baseline (pretest) and at 1-month posttest following the intervention. Independent and paired t-tests were used to compare outcomes between and within groups.
Results:
At posttest, the intervention group showed significant improvements in self-efficacy (mean difference = 1.85, p = 0.03), outcome expectation (mean difference = 1.71, p = 0.03), and practice scores (mean difference = 8.40, p = 0.01). Between-group comparisons demonstrated significantly higher outcome expectations (p < 0.001) and practice scores (p < 0.001) in the intervention group compared to the control group. No significant differences were observed for knowledge between groups.
Conclusions:
The THLS-integrated school-based intervention improved self-efficacy, outcome expectations and obesity prevention practices among schoolchildren. These findings support the implementation of multi-component, school-based strategies involving policy, education, and family engagement to promote healthy lifestyles.
Keywords
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