Stavrou Stavroula, Nicolaides Nicolas C, Papageorgiou Ifigenia, Papadopoulou Pinelopi, Terzioglou Elena, Chrousos George P, Darviri Christina, Charmandari Evangelia
Postgraduate Course Stress Management and Health Promotion, School of Medicine, University of Athens, Athens, 11527, Greece.
Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, First Department of Pediatrics, University of Athens Medical School, 'Aghia Sophia' Children's Hospital, Athens, Greece; Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Clinical Research Center, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, 11527, Greece.
J Mol Biochem. 2016;5(2):63-70. Epub 2016 Jul 31.
Obesity in childhood and adolescence represents a major health problem of our century, and accounts for a significant increase in morbidity and mortality in adulthood. In addition to the increased consumption of calories and lack of exercise, accumulating evidence suggests that childhood obesity is strongly associated with prolonged and excessive activation of the stress system.
The aim of our study was to assess the effectiveness of a stress-management intervention program, which included progressive muscle relaxation, diaphragmatic breathing, guided imagery and cognitive restructuring, in overweight and obese children and adolescents.
Forty-nine children and adolescents (mean age ± SEM: 11.15 ± 1.48 years) were prospectively recruited to participate in this randomized controlled study. Of those, 23 participants were assigned into the intervention group, while 26 participants represented the control group. Anthropometric measurements were recorded at the beginning and at the end of the study, and participants were asked to complete the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (S.C.A.R.E.D.), the Child Depression Inventory (C.D.I.), the Child Behavior Checklist (C.B.C.L.) and the Youth Self Report (Y.S.R.).
The applied stress-management methods resulted in a significant reduction in the body mass index (BMI) in the intervention group compared with the control group [ΔBMI=1.18 vs 0.10 kg/m (p<0.001)]. In addition to BMI, these methods ameliorated depression and anxiety, and reduced the internalizing and externalizing problems in the intervention group.
Our study demonstrated that the application of an 8-week stress management program could facilitate weight loss in Greek overweight and obese children and adolescents. Further larger studies are required to evaluate the effectiveness of stress-management methods in overweight and obese subjects.
儿童期和青少年期肥胖是本世纪的一个主要健康问题，也是成年期发病率和死亡率显著上升的一个重要因素。除了热量摄入增加和缺乏运动外，越来越多的证据表明，儿童肥胖与应激系统的长期过度激活密切相关。
我们研究的目的是评估一项压力管理干预计划的效果，该计划包括渐进性肌肉放松、膈式呼吸、引导式意象和认知重构，应用于超重和肥胖的儿童及青少年。
前瞻性招募了49名儿童和青少年（平均年龄±标准误：11.15±1.48岁）参与这项随机对照研究。其中，23名参与者被分配到干预组，26名参与者作为对照组。在研究开始和结束时记录人体测量数据，并要求参与者完成儿童焦虑相关障碍筛查量表（S.C.A.R.E.D.）、儿童抑郁量表（C.D.I.）、儿童行为清单（C.B.C.L.）和青少年自我报告（Y.S.R.）。
与对照组相比，干预组应用的压力管理方法使体重指数（BMI）显著降低[ΔBMI=1.18 vs 0.10 kg/m²（p<0.001）]。除BMI外，这些方法还改善了干预组的抑郁和焦虑状况，并减少了内化和外化问题。
我们的研究表明，应用为期8周的压力管理计划可以促进希腊超重和肥胖儿童及青少年的体重减轻。需要进一步开展更大规模的研究来评估压力管理方法对超重和肥胖受试者的有效性。
