School-Based Intervention for Healthy Lifestyle Promotion Among Qatari Youth

This study aims to tackle overweight and obesity among Qatari youth, specifically children aged 9-12. The project plans to adapt a school-based intervention that combines behavioral and cognitive approaches to promote a healthy lifestyle. It also aims to integrate behavioral economics and cognitive behavioral therapy in a multi-cohort prevention/intervention study. The study will select and use technological tools for enhanced outcomes and adoption of the intervention nationally. The ultimate goal is to package the study findings into a lifestyle change intervention for national implementation, in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation and the Supreme Education Council. This project could provide the basis for a national program to reduce obesity in Qatar through lifestyle changes and decrease related health conditions. During the study, participants will have their weight loss progress assessed by measuring their Body Mass Index (BMI) at various stages: the start of the study, post-camp, post-clubs, and post-maintenance/end of intervention. The change in BMI Standard Deviation Scores (SDS) between the start and week 26 will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention, compared to the BMI-SDS for the control group. A one-year follow-up of the change in BMI-SDS for both intervention and control groups will gauge the long-term benefits of the intervention. A multilevel mixed effects model will be used to assess both individual- and school-level effects, including covariates such as demographic factors of the children and time (cohort). Subgroup analyses will be conducted by gender and age.