The effect of play therapy package based on executive functions on physical activity of obese children

Introduction: Physical activity plays a critical role in the treatment of childhood obesity; therefore, its promotion is of significant importance in clinical and public health interventions. Aim: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of the play therapy package based on executive functions on physical activity among obese children. Method: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up assessments, including a control group. The study population consisted of all individuals referred to Iranian health centers in Isfahan City between the second half of 2021 and the first half of 2022. A total of 45 parent–child pairs, in which the children were classified as obese, were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 22) or the control group (n = 23) using simple randomization. All participating parents were female, with a mean age of 34.64 years. The children, of both sexes, had a mean age of 9.41 years. While both groups underwent weekly height and weight measurements, the experimental group also participated in eleven 45-minute sessions of play therapy training, whereas the control group received no intervention. The Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PAES) was used as the primary measurement tool. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 29, employing chi-square tests and repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) at a significance level of 0.05. Results: The findings showed that there was no significant difference between the 2 groups in terms of demographic data. It was also found that the play therapy package had a significant effect (P<0.05) on promoting physical activity in obese children. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, play therapy training based on executive functions has a significant effect on promoting physical activity in obese children, and therefore, it can be used to promote physical activity among obese children.