Two-Year Outcomes of a Primary Care–and Home-Based Intervention for Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Diet in Adolescents

Objective. Interventions to promote physical activity (PA) and healthy diet that are (a) conducted in a primary care setting, (b) based on theories of behavioral change, and (c) of long duration (>1 year) are recommended but few exist. We tested the effect, after 2 years of treatment, of a multicomponent intervention designed to promote PA and healthy diet among 819 adolescents between the ages of 11 and 15 years from San Diego. Methods. Treatment effects were assessed using sex-specific repeated-measures mixed model analyses. All behaviors measured were based on self-report. Results. After 2 years of treatment, boys in the intervention group maintained improved consumption of fruits and vegetables whereas the control group did not ( P = .006). Two-year treatment effects were also observed for sedentary behaviors in both boys ( P < .0001) and girls ( P = .012). Satisfaction with the program was high and of the intervention components, counselor calls were most liked, parental guidance was perceived as most valuable, and tip sheets were the most used. Conclusion: Two years of a primary care–based intervention that focus on behavioral change strategies, counselor calls, and parental guidance reduced sedentary behavior and increased boys’ fruit and vegetable consumption.