Leveraging recreational activities to reduce obesity-related behaviors in children from lower-income households.

Energy-dense discretionary foods and electronic entertainment are highly accessible and salient sources of reward in children's daily lives. This proof-of-concept study examined whether parent-facilitated recreational activities can displace these obesity-related behaviors in children ages 5-10 years (n = 60) from lower-income households. Parents were trained to implement the Traffic Light Eating Plan to encourage child intake of healthier vs. less healthy foods. No other changes were implemented in the baseline period of the protocol (Days 1-8). Families then participated in a structured session focused on identifying appealing and feasible recreational activities, and received funds to offset recreation costs. During protocol Days 10-17, parents were encouraged to facilitate recreational activities (e.g., arts and crafts, hobbies, games) as substitute rewards for eating and electronic entertainment. Parent reports of children's discretionary food intake, electronic entertainment use, and engagement in recreation were measured via ecological momentary assessment. In age- and sex-adjusted models, the odds of discretionary food consumption and electronic entertainment use were significantly lower during the recreation enhancement period compared to baseline. Time-varying analyses indicated that children used electronic entertainment less often when they were engaged in recreation. Children who were concurrently enrolled in organized non-sport activities outside of the study had lower odds of obesity-related behaviors. Children exhibited a relative preference for access to recreation over food and electronic entertainment in a behavioral economic choice task, and this preference varied by child weight status. Findings suggest that recreational activities might be leveraged to displace obesity-related behaviors in interventions to prevent and treat childhood obesity.