- Title
- Randomized controlled trial of the physical activity leaders (PALs) program for adolescent boys from disadvantaged secondary schools
- Creator
- Lubans, David R.; Morgan, Philip J.; Aguiar, Elroy J.; Callister, Robin
- Relation
- Preventative Medicine Vol. 52, Issue 3-4, p. 239-246
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.01.009
- Publisher
- Academic Press
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2011
- Description
- Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of the Physical Activity Leaders (PALs) program. PALs is an obesity prevention program for low-active adolescent boys from disadvantaged schools. Methods: The study was conducted in the Hunter Region, New South Wales (NSW), Australia from June to December 2009. Four disadvantaged secondary schools were randomized to treatment conditions for the 6-month study period. Participants were 100 adolescent boys [mean (SD) age=14.3(0.6) years; BMI=22.1 kg/m⁻² (4.6); BMI z-score=0.6 (1.2)]. The primary outcome was change in BMI and secondary outcomes were body fat (bioelectrical impedance analysis), waist circumference, muscular fitness (leg dynamometer, 90º push-up test and 7-stage sit-up test), physical activity (5-days of pedometry) and selected dietary behaviors. Results: Significant group-by-time interaction effects were found for BMI (mean difference=−0.8 kg/m⁻², p<0.001, d =0.7), BMI z-score (mean difference=−0.2, p<0.001, d=0.7), and body fat (mean difference= −1.8%, p<0.05, d=0.5), but not for waist circumference, muscular fitness or physical activity. Participants in the intervention group reduced their consumption of sugar-containing beverages. Conclusions: The PALs program was a feasible and efficacious approach to induce healthy weight loss in adolescent boys from disadvantaged secondary schools.
- Subject
- obesity; overweight; intervention; youth; resistance training; strength training
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/934533
- Identifier
- uon:11857
- Identifier
- ISSN:0091-7435
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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