New obesity weapon: kids teaching kids

When older kids teach younger children about nutrition and the benefits of exercise, the little ones seem to lose weight and gain knowledge about healthy living, Canadian researchers report.
Such a program — called Healthy Buddies — was tested in Manitoba elementary schools. It helped heavy kids lose an average of half an inch off their waist and increased their knowledge of diet and exercise, the researchers said. They also said that engaging older youth in delivering health messages to younger peers is an effective method for preventing weight gain, improving knowledge of healthy living and increasing self-esteem. The effects of this peer mentoring model of healthy living promotion is particularly effective for overweight children.
This approach — detailed in the recent issue of the journal JAMA Paediatrics — could help curb the obesity epidemic among young children.
Researchers designed a study where 19 schools were randomly assigned to use the Healthy Buddies curriculum or their regular instruction during the 2009-'10 school year.
Over the course of the school year, the researchers looked at changes in waist size and body-mass index (BMI), as well as physical activity, heart fitness, self-image and knowledge about healthy living and diet.
They found that the waist size of children in the Healthy Buddies program dropped an average of half an inch compared with children in the regular curriculum. There was no difference in Body Mass Index (BMI) — a measurement of fat based on height and weight — between the groups.