Development and Effect of Child Obesity Management Program by Applied Nudge

Abstract

Background: Child obesity rates are increasing worldwide. In Korea, the proportion of overweight students has steadily increased from 21.8% in 2015 to 25.8% in 2019. Childhood obesity causes mental problems, such as depression and social phobia, due to mental stress, feelings of inferiority, and low self-esteem. Methods: This experimental study aimed to verify the effect of the child obesity management program on body changes (height, weight, obesity degree, body mass index [BMI], body fat percentage), eating habits, exercise habits, obesity knowledge, and social support. This child obesity management program applies the nudge technique based on an ecological model and induces autonomous weight management through environmental control. Results: As results of this study, the child obesity management program using the nudge technique developed in this study improved the height (t = −5.19, p < 0.001), obesity degree (z = −3.28, p = 0.001), BMI (z = −3.22, p = 0.001), exercise habits (t = −2.09, p = 0.040), and obesity knowledge of obese children (z = −2.99, p = 0.003). Conclusions: This multidimensional intervention improved obesity by inducing and sustaining behavioral changes in obese children. Therefore, applying the nudge techniques and multidimensional intervention methods based on ecological model are proposed to increase the effectiveness of the health promotion programs.