(Taken from application) The rising prevalence of pediatric obesity represents a substantial health problem in the United States. Despite its complex etiology, pediatric obesity is reliably associated with (a) decreased physical activity and (b) increased television (TV) viewing. Behavioral interventions for pediatric obesity that increase exercise behavior effectively promote short- and long-term weight loss. However, because these treatments are most effective when parents are actively included in treatment too, they may be less practical for many families. Furthermore, interventions conducted in restrictive settings (e.g., school gyms) often do not generalize to the home and result in weight gain. Thus, there is a need for pediatric obesity interventions which require minimal parental input, are home-based, and promote sustained exercise behavior. The purpose of this study is to serve as a feasibility project for the development and implementation of a home-based TV-cycle-ergometer for the treatment of obese children. Based on a laboratory prototype, we will test the efficacy of a home-based stationary cycle ergometer which is electrically connected to a TV set. In essence, in order to view the TV, the child must pedal the cycle at a prescribed workload. Continued viewing is contingent upon continued cycling. To test its effects on various obesity-related outcomes, subjects will be 18 obese children (ages 8-12) who meet study inclusion criteria. For nine experimental subjects, we will have such a TV-cycle-ergometer installed in their homes for 3 1/2 months. Access to all other TV's in the home will be restricted. Nine control subjects will have similar TV-cycle-ergometers installed in their homes, but these devices will NOT required pedaling to activate the TV. All subjects will have free and unrestricted access to their TV-cycle-ergometers . Outcome measures will be time spent cycling at home on the TV-cycle-ergometer, time spent viewing TV, relative body weight, and body fat. Measures will be taken before and after treatment, in a body composition laboratory. It is hypothesized that, compared to control subjects, experimental subjects will show decreases in TV viewing and/or increases in cycling behavior, and decreases in relative body weight and body fat. If efficacious, this research will demonstrate the feasibility of a practical, home-based intervention for treating pediatric obesity which places minimal demands on the family. Furthermore, this feasibility study will pave the way-for larger clinical trials testing the disseminability of this device among broader samples and its utilization over longer periods of time.
| Faith, M S; Berman, N; Heo, M et al. (2001) Effects of contingent television on physical activity and television viewing in obese children. Pediatrics 107:1043-8 |
