The Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) Study

Summary

The Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) Study is a single-centre controlled trial on the effects of a combined physical activity and dietary intervention on cardiometabolic risk factors and other health outcomes in a population sample of children from the city of Kuopio, Finland. The study provides novel scientific information for the identification of cardiometabolic diseases and other chronic diseases since fetal period and for the prevention of these chronic diseases since childhood.

The main hypothesis of the PANIC study is that individuals at increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases and other chronic diseases can be identified in childhood and that it is possible to start the prevention of these chronic diseases by a long-term physical activity and dietary intervention since childhood.

Conditions

• Overweight
• Glucose Metabolism Disorders
• Lipid Metabolism Disorders
• Blood Pressure
• Atherosclerosis

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

lifestyle counseling

The physical activity and dietary intervention is based on the Finnish physical activity and dietary recommendations. The children and their parents in the intervention group undergo individualized and family-based physical activity and dietary intervention between the baseline and 2-year follow-up examinations. The children and their parents meet a physical activity specialist and a nutritionist who give detailed and individualized instructions on health promoting physical activity and diet at months 0, 1.5, 3, 6, 12, and 18 with a specific topic at each visit. Between the 2-year follow-up and 8-year follow-up examinations, the intervention continues with yearly physical activity and dietary counseling sessions. The children in the intervention group, particularly those who do not attend organized sports or exercise, will also be encouraged to participate in after-school exercise clubs organized by trained exercise instructors of the study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Kuopio University Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Jyvaskyla

  collaborator OTHER

• Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Turku

  collaborator OTHER

• Tampere University

  collaborator OTHER

• Folkhälsan Researech Center

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Cambridge

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Exeter

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Copenhagen

  collaborator OTHER

• Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Tromso

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Iceland

  collaborator OTHER

• Early Growth Genetics (EGG) Consortium

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• LongITools Consortium

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of Eastern Finland

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Timo A Lakka, MD · University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio campus

Study Design

Allocation

NON_RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

6 Years

Max Age

9 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2007-10-31

Primary Completion

2023-12-31

Completion

2023-12-31

Countries

• Finland

Study Locations