Riding into Health: A Case Study on an Equine-Assisted Childhood Obesity Intervention

In this article, we present an exploratory case study that describes the initial outcomes of the Equine-Assisted Positively Fit (EAPF) program. Children with obesity and their caregivers were recruited to participate in the eight-session program. Results indicated that treatment completers ( = 2) ha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2019-12, Vol.16 (23), p.4835
Main Authors: Schroeder, Katy, Van Allen, Jason, Dhurandhar, Emily, Lancaster, Brittany, Heidari, Zohal, Cazenave, Kandis, Boone, Dianna, Erdman, Phyllis
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accelerometry
Adipose Tissue
Animals
Behavior
Body mass index
Caregivers
Child
Children
Children & youth
Curricula
Exercise
Families & family life
Female
Health
Horses
Human behavior
Humans
Intervention
Male
Medical treatment
Obesity
Participation
Pediatric Obesity - therapy
Peers
Quality of life
Questionnaires
Skill development
Studies
Walking
Weight control
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Summary:In this article, we present an exploratory case study that describes the initial outcomes of the Equine-Assisted Positively Fit (EAPF) program. Children with obesity and their caregivers were recruited to participate in the eight-session program. Results indicated that treatment completers ( = 2) had a decrease in fat mass and fat mass percentage and an increase in fat-free mass and fat-free mass percentage. Moreover, results from accelerometer measurements of physical activity indicated that participants increased their moderate to vigorous physical activity, as well as reported increased self-efficacy for physical activity. Qualitative data from the post-intervention focus group suggested children perceived the treatment acceptable and enjoyable. Findings from this study provide support for future investigations on the feasibility and potential efficacy of pairing children and their caregivers with horses to accomplish health-related goals.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph16234835