PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Foster, Gary D.
AU  - Sundal, Deborah
AU  - McDermott, Cynthia
AU  - Jelalian, Elissa
AU  - Lent, Michelle R.
AU  - Vojta, Deneen
TI  - Feasibility and Preliminary Outcomes of a Scalable, Community-based Treatment of Childhood Obesity
AID  - 10.1542/peds.2012-0344
DP  - 2012 Oct 01
TA  - Pediatrics
PG  - 652--659
VI  - 130
IP  - 4
4099  - http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/4/652.short
4100  - http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/4/652.full
SO  - Pediatrics2012 Oct 01; 130
AB  - OBJECTIVE: Clinic-based treatments of childhood obesity are effective but typically have limited reach and are costly. In this study, we evaluated the effects of a scalable weight management program for children and teenagers.METHODS: Participants were 155 children and their parent/guardian. Children had a mean ± SD age of 11.3 ± 2.8 years, BMI z score of 2.23 ± 0.41, and a percentage overweight of 72.5 ± 34.0. Most (92%) were obese, and nearly half (46.5%) were ≥99th percentile for BMI. The primary outcome was change in percentage overweight from baseline to 6 months.RESULTS: At 6 months, children experienced a 3.4 percentage point reduction in percentage overweight (P = .001). Children <13 years had a 4.3 percentage point reduction in percentage overweight, whereas those ≥13 years had a 1.0 percentage point reduction. Those who attended a greater number of face-to-face group sessions experienced greater changes in percentage overweight. There were significant improvements in child health-related quality of life as reported by both children and their parents.CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that a scalable, community-based pediatric obesity intervention can result in clinically significant reductions in percentage overweight, as well as improvements in health-related quality of life.Abbreviations:HRQoL — health-related quality of lifeITT — intention-to-treatPedsQL — Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory