Effects of a family home-based intervention on global health and 24h movements: an exploratory family cluster-based approach to childhood obesity

Objectives: This study aimed at (i) exploring the effects of a 12-month home-based family intervention on perceived global health and 24 h movement patterns among children with overweight/obesity (OW/OB) and their family members; (ii) identifying intra-family behavioral clusters and their influence on the intervention's effectiveness. Methods: 142 families (n = 223 legal guardians) with at least one child with OW/OB were included. At baseline and 12 months, perceived health, sleep, physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors (SB) were assessed. Results: Children with OW/OB showed poorer physical and mental quality of life (QoL) than normal weight (NW) ones (p < 0.001), and decreased body mass index (BMI) z-score over time (p = 0.001). Guardians with OW/OB improved physical QoL at the end of the program (p = 0.002). For all outcomes, clusters analysis suggested a distinction between NW children and those with OW/OB. Children tended to resemble their guardians of same weight status (WS). Changes in BMI z-scores among children with OW/OB might vary by QoL and behavioral profiles with greatest reductions in clusters having higher baseline global health or PA. Conclusion: This study suggests the potential of family-centered strategies addressing childhood obesity.