The Halland Obesity Municipal Effort for Children

This method involves the entire municipal community in Laholm and Kungsbacka (two cities in Sweden): Pediatric care unit, Child Psychiatry, Social services, School healthcare, private companies, and local sports clubs. The model includes group activities and individual activities and offer 15 different health promoting and free activities per week.

All activities are modified and take place in a safe environment. The activities range from golf, riding, gym training, swimming, fishing, art classes, karate, dance classes, and the possibility for the child to get a grade in Physical Education through a specific collaboration with the local schools in the municipality.

The children are given a fruit at each activity and cooking classes are frequently given. The municipal activity coordinator who is responsible uses different methods such as KASAM, Health Action Model and Empowerment to help each child develop skills in self-monitoring, goal setting, problem solving, contingent reward systems, and stimulus control. Parents are given a specific support program called COPE, Community Parent Education. Some activities include the whole family.

In addition to the weekly activities, the activities are also always given on school holidays and weekends when children are known to be less active.

This study will investigate this method by focusing on BMI, metabolic control, blood pressure, level of physical activity, age, sex, the existence of comorbidities, presence of neurodevelopmental disorders, school related issues, involvement of social services, need of grades in Physical Education and help to learn how to swim, which activities the children were undertaking as well as the frequency of participation. The proportion of children achieving full 12 years of education will also be investigated.