Abstract
Purposes: The theory of obesity-related behaviors in adolescents (TORBA) emerged from a qualitative study in Iran and presents a new approach to the weight-gain process during adolescence. This study aims at evaluating the effectiveness of a TORBA-based intervention on obese adolescents’ weight reduction and its related factors.
Methods: This is a randomized clinical trial conducted on 115 overweight adolescents (50% female) aged 12 to 17 years, and their parents will be recruited from healthcare centers located in district 13 of Tehran. All participants will attend a data collection, involving assessments of obesity-related behaviors, laboratory indices, body composition, body mass index and health-related quality of life, which will be conducted at baseline, after the intervention phase, and after maintenance phases (6 months and a year after intervention). Following completion of all pre intervention assessments, participants will be randomly assigned in to the intervention or control groups. The TORBA-based cognitive behavioral intervention, of this study, consists of face- to-face educational sessions for adolescents and their parents. A pilot study will establish the affordability of study educational packages. The study interventions involve improvement in diet, physical activity, and stress management which mainly implement through motivational interviews. Improvements in obesity-related behaviors, BMI, body composition are primary outcomes and secondary outcomes include improvement in laboratory indices and health-related quality of life.
Conclusion: Data obtained in this study will provide valuable information about the effectiveness of a behavioral cognitive intervention, designed on a local-tailored theoretical framework and which could be used for designing future national strategies to prevent obesity in Iranian adolescents.