Abstract
Introduction: In 2011, only 28.7 percent of adolescents met recommended physical activity levels for their age group (1). Evidence suggests that inactivity contributes to childhood and adolescent obesity (1). Primary care providers are urged to screen for physical inactivity and obesity in youth but the lack of children meeting physical activity recommendations shows that more needs to be done to address this issue.|Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients seen in a Midwestern clinic was completed to evaluate effectiveness of patient-guided physical activity goal setting to gain further insight into this method of treatment and help promote development of patient-guided goal setting as a method of obesity and physical inactivity treatment. The Logic Model was used to evaluate the practice methods. At a preventative cardiology clinic, children and adolescents are asked to choose and commit to a goal for prescribed amounts of physical activity over specified time periods. At the end of the targeted goal period, total physical activity was evaluated to determine if the child met his or her goal. Also, an evaluation was completed to determine if meeting these patient-guided goals had an impact on body mass index and waist circumference. Inclusion criteria: Ages 5-18, male or female, and overweight (BMI≥ 85th percentile). Exclusion criteria: no physical activity goal chosen at initial visit within the study period, no follow up visit or follow up goal recorded, and the inability to perform physical activity.|Results: The results of the study showed significant improvement in physical activity for patients who met their goals compared to those who did not meet their goals. However, there was no significant difference in change in body composition between those who met their goals for increased physical activity and those who didn't. These findings show important promise in techniques to engage youth in healthy lifestyle practices such as daily physical activity.