Healthy Weights Interventions in Aboriginal Children and Youth: A Review of the Literature

Publication: Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
15 August 2014

Abstract

There is evidence that Aboriginal children and youth in Canada and elsewhere are at higher risk of obesity and overweight than other children. However, there has been no review of healthy weights interventions specifically aimed at Aboriginal children. A structured search for peer-reviewed articles presenting and evaluating healthy weights interventions for Aboriginal children and youth was conducted. Seventeen articles, representing seven interventions, were reviewed to identify their main characteristics, evaluation design, and evaluation outcomes. Interventions included several large community-based programs as well as several more focused programs that all targeted First Nations or American Indians, rather than Métis or Inuit. Only 1 program served an urban Aboriginal population. None of the published evaluations reported significant reductions in obesity or overweight or sustained increases in physical activity, although some evaluations presented evidence of positive effects on children's diets or on nutrition knowledge or intentions. We conclude that broader structural factors affecting the health of Aboriginal children may limit the effectiveness of these interventions, and that more evidence is required regarding interventions for Aboriginal children in various geographic and cultural contexts in Canada including Inuit and Métis communities.

Résumé

Des données probantes montrent que les enfants et les jeunes autochtones du Canada et d'ailleurs présentent un risque plus élevé d'obésité et de surpoids que les autres enfants. Cependant, aucune revue des interventions visant à promouvoir un poids santé chez les enfants autochtones n'a été effectuée. Une recherche structurée d'articles révisés par des pairs présentant et évaluant des interventions visant à promouvoir un poids santé chez les enfants et les jeunes autochtones a été menée. Dix-sept articles, qui représentaient sept interventions, ont été examinés en vue d'identifier leurs principales caractéristiques, la méthodologie de l’évaluation ainsi que ses résultats. Les interventions comprenaient plusieurs importants programmes communautaires de même que de nombreux programmes plus ciblés axés sur les Premières nations ou les Amérindiens, plutôt que sur les Métis ou les Inuits. Un seul programme desservait une population autochtone urbaine. Par ailleurs, aucune des évaluations publiées ne rapportait de réductions significatives de l'obésité ou du surpoids ni de hausses soutenues du niveau d'activité physique. Toutefois, certaines évaluations présentaient des données probantes démontrant des effets positifs sur l'alimentation ou sur les connaissances ou intentions des enfants relativement à la nutrition. Nous avons conclu que des facteurs structurels plus vastes ayant un impact sur la santé des enfants autochtones pourraient limiter l'efficacité de ces interventions. Finalement, plus de données probantes sont requises sur les interventions menées auprès des enfants autochtones dans divers contextes géographiques et culturels au Canada, y compris auprès des communautés inuits et métisses.

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Supplementary Material

Supplementary Table 1 and Supplementary Table 2 (cjdpr-2014-006suppl.pdf)

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

cover image Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
Volume 75Number 03September 2014
Pages: 125 - 131

History

Version of record online: 15 August 2014

Authors

Affiliations

Claire Towns, BASc, RD
Northern Ontario Dietetic Internship Program, Barrie, ON
Martin Cooke, PhD
School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON
Lee Rysdale, MEd, RD
Northern Ontario Dietetic Internship Program, Sudbury, ON
Piotr Wilk, PhD
Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON

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Cited by

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