Short-Term Efficacy and Correlates of Change in Health Weight Management Program for Chinese American Children.

A pretest and posttest study design was used to test a healthy weight management intervention with overweight and/or obese Chinese American children. Children attended 8-weekly small group sessions while parents attended a single 2-hour parent workshop. Children had their weight, height, blood pressure, waist and hip circumference, and fast lipids data assessed and completed several questions questionnaires regarding food choices, self-efficacy, and knowledge at baseline, 2 months, and 6 months. Parents completed questionnaires regarding demographic, acculturation level and family environment. We found significant reduction of body mass index, waist/hip ratio, systolic blood pressure and improvement of child's eating style, physical activity knowledge, self-efficacy, and children's quality of life at 6-month follow-up. In addition, significant improvement of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and decrease in triglyceride were found at 6-month follow-up. Improvement of nutrition self-efficacy and decreased stimulus environment were associated with decreased body mass index in overweight and obese Chinese American children.

The Feasibility and Efficacy of Healthy Weight Management Program for Low Income Chinese American Overweight and Obese Children in a Primary Care Clinic.

INTRODUCTION: Childhood obesity is one of the most prevalent public health concerns. METHOD: A pre and post study design was used to explore the efficacy of an obesity prevention program. Children had weight, height, blood pressure, and waist circumference measured, and completed self-reported questionnaires on food intake, knowledge, self-efficacy, and health-related quality of life. Parents completed demographic and acculturation surveys. RESULTS: Seventy children participated in the study. Results demonstrated significant reduction of BMI, systolic blood pressure, and fast food consumption and improvement of self-efficacy, knowledge, and quality of life. DISCUSSION: Childhood obesity intervention is feasible and has short-term efficacy.

iStart smart: a primary-care based and community partnered childhood obesity management program for Chinese-American children: feasibility study.

Children who are ethnic minorities, low income and live in urban neighborhoods are at higher risk for obesity. This study examined the feasibility and efficacy of a primary care-based and community partnered obesity intervention in Chinese American children. An experimental design with a historical comparison group was used to explore the feasibility of an obesity intervention for overweight Chinese American children, ages 7-12. Data were collected on weight, height, blood pressure, waist circumference, physical activity, food intake, knowledge, and self-efficacy about diet and physical activity at baseline, 2 months, and 6 months post-baseline. Significant improvements in BMI, blood pressure, and nutrition knowledge and self-efficacy were found in the intervention group. Intervention group reduced their BMI compared to the comparison group (F = 8.65, p = .004). An obesity intervention in primary care setting is feasible and demonstrates a short-term effect on weight loss in Chinese American children.

Exploring the boundary between temperament and generalized anxiety disorder: a receiver operating characteristic analysis.

Studies of individuals with an increased tendency to experience negative emotions such as fear, sadness, and anger have documented links between this temperamental trait and anxiety disorders. There exists debate, however, concerning the degree to which high levels of a temperamental trait are a necessary and/or sufficient component of a DSM diagnosis. In this study, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses assessed the relations between levels of harm avoidance (HA) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) diagnoses in 334 children and their parents. Analyses revealed HA scores to be highly predictive of GAD diagnoses in children (AUC=.791, P<.001) and adults (AUC=.818, P<.001). However, there were many individuals with high HA scores who did not qualify for a GAD diagnosis. These findings suggest that while there are strong associations between HA and GAD, high levels of HA are neither necessary nor sufficient in the formation of clinically significant anxiety symptoms.