The effect of diet counseling and physical activity on the components of metabolic syndrome in children: A Randomized Clinical Trial

OBJECTIVE: Metabolic syndrome is a collection of metabolic abnormalities that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of dietary and physical activities counseling on components of metabolic syndrome in school-age children with metabolic syndrome. METHODS: This study is a randomized clinical trial on children aged 6–12 years (n = 60) that was conducted with metabolic syndrome. The participants were divided into three groups, the intervention group (including dietary counseling, physical activity counseling, and diet and physical activity counseling group) and a control group. The data collection method in this study was based on interviews with parents and completing a physical activity and nutrition questionnaire appropriate to the group, measuring blood pressure, blood sugar, high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and anthropometric indicators including height, waist, and weight. The intervention was carried out for 4 months. Data analysis was performed using SPSS(21). RESULTS: The results showed that there was a statistically significant difference between the means of abdominal obesity, hypertension, fasting blood sugar, high-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides in the three experimental groups (diet, physical activity, diet, and physical activity) and the control group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, counseling on diet and physical activity program execution is an essential base for controlling components of metabolic syndrome in children.