Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of the Emergency Department (ED) as a place\nfor obesity education and to evaluate its impact on patient�s lifestyle modification.\nMethods: In this study, children between 8 and 18 years of age, who presented to the ED for non-urgent reasons\nin a single urban hospital, were enrolled. Parents� perception of their child�s diet and exercise were assessed prior to\nthe intervention. Both parents and children attended a brief audio-visual presentation that provided educational\ninformation on age-appropriate diet and exercise. Following the intervention, the participants were asked about their\nimpressions regarding the ED as a place to receive obesity education and whether they plan to make any changes in\ndiet and exercise.\nResults: One hundred children and their parents participated in this study. Of these, 76 were Latino and 21\nwere African-Americans. The mean age was 14 years, and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 25.6. Following the\nintervention, 21 (100 %) of the African-American parents and 73 (98.6 %) of the Latino parents felt that the ED should\nprovide obesity education. Eighteen (85.7 %) of the African-American parents and 72 (97.3 %) of the Latino parents\nplanned to make changes in their child�s diet and exercise. Among the children, 21 (100 %) of African-American\nparticipants and 76 (100 %) of Latino participants reported that they found the audio-visual useful. Seventeen\n(81.0 %) of the African-American children and 73 (96.1 %) of Latino children stated learning new information from\nthe intervention program.\nConclusions: This study suggests the ED may have a role in primary health promotion and obesity prevention.\nAn ED-based intervention may be used to provide education about obesity prevention and has the potential to\nimpact life style modifications, including diet and exercise.
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