Childhood obesity: public-health crisis, common sense cure

Ebbeling, Cara B.; Pawlak, Dorota B; Ludwig, David S.

doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(02)09678-2

Cited by 2,493 publications

(1,981 citation statements)

References 146 publications

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“…6 Glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus, earlier recognized only in adults, occur among obese children and adolescents in increasing numbers. 7 In addition, overweight children are more likely to become obese adults than children of normal weight. 8 There are promising results from behavioral therapy-based group programs for treatment of childhood obesity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical efficacy of group-based treatment for childhood obesity compared with routinely given individual counseling

2007

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Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of group treatment stressing a health-promoting lifestyle with routine counseling in the treatment of childhood obesity. Design and subjects: Seventy obese children (weight for height 115-182%) aged 7-9 years were randomized either to routine counseling (two appointments for children) or to family-based group treatment (15 separate sessions for parents and children). These sessions included nutrition education, physical activity education and behavioral therapy. Outcome measures: Children's weights and heights were measured at baseline, after the 6-month intervention and after the 6-month follow-up. The change of weight for height based on Finnish growth charts was used as the primary, and changes in body mass index (BMI) and BMI standard deviation scores (BMI-SDS) as secondary outcome measures. Results: Children attending the group treatment lost more weight for height (6.8%) than children receiving routine counseling (1.8%) (P ¼ 0.001). The difference was significant when the data were analyzed in four groups by the cut-off limits of 0, À5 and À10% for the change in weight for height. The respective decreases in BMI were 0.8 vs 0.0 (P ¼ 0.003) and in BMI-SDS 0.3 vs 0.2 (P ¼ 0.022). The results remained similar in adjusted analyses. Both group and routine programs were feasible with a high, 87-99%, participation rate in sessions and appointments and very low, 3% or less, attrition rate from the programs. Six months after the intervention, beneficial effects were partly lost, but for changes in weight for height and BMI, the differences between the two treatment programs still were significant, and for BMI-SDS, there was a trend. Conclusions: Family-based group treatment that stresses a health-promoting lifestyle and is given separately for parents and children, offers an effective mode of therapy to treat obese school-aged children.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical efficacy of group-based treatment for childhood obesity compared with routinely given individual counseling

2007

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“…The population prevalence of childhood overweight or obesity has increased by about three-fold in many countries, including Australia, 1 over the last 2 or 3 decades. 2 These trends are likely to have major public health consequences since overweight or obesity status tracks from childhood to adulthood and there is emerging evidence that the precursors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, some of which will be irreversible, already exist in overweight and obese children. [2][3][4][5][6][7] With respect to the tracking of measures of obesity across time, most studies have assessed correlations between body mass index (BMI) at different ages and found moderate correlations, 8,9 or have assessed how well being overweight or obese at one stage of the life course predicts being overweight or obese at a later stage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Family and early life factors associated with changes in overweight status between ages 5 and 14 years: findings from the Mater University Study of Pregnancy and its outcomes

et al. 2005

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OBJECTIVE:To describe different patterns of overweight status between ages 5 and 14 y and examine the role of modifiable family and early life characteristics in explaining different patterns of change between these two ages. DESIGN: A population-based prospective birth cohort. SUBJECTS: A total of 2934 children (52% males) who were participants in the Mater-University study of pregnancy, Brisbane, and who were examined at ages 5 and 14 y. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Four patterns of change in overweight/obesity status between ages 5 and 14 y: (i) normal at both ages; (ii) normal at 5 y and overweight/obese at 14 y; (iii) overweight/obese at 5 y and normal at 14 y; (iv) overweight/ obese at both ages. RESULTS: Of the 2934 participants, 2018 (68.8%) had a normal body mass index (BMI) at ages 5 and 14 y, 425 (14.5%) changed from a normal BMI at age 5 y to overweight or obese at age 14 y, 175 (6.0%) changed from being overweight or obese at age 5 y to normal weight at age 14 y and 316 (10.8%) were overweight or obese at both ages 5 and 14 y. Girls were more likely to make the transition from overweight or obese at age 5 y to normal at 14 y than their boy counterparts. Children whose parents were overweight or obese were more likely to change from having a normal BMI at age 5 y to being overweight at 14 y (fully adjusted RR: 6.17 (95% CI: 3.97, 9.59)) and were more likely to be overweight at both ages (7.44 (95% CI: 4.60, 12.02)). Birth weight and increase in weight over the first 6 months of life were both positively associated with being overweight at both ages. Other explanatory factors were not associated with the different overweight status transitions.

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“…Childhood overweight and obesity is currently one of the major challenges in public health [1]. Childhood overweight is associated with a wide range of adverse physical and psychological outcomes including asthma, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, sleeping disorders, and low self-esteem [1,2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Childhood overweight is associated with a wide range of adverse physical and psychological outcomes including asthma, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, sleeping disorders, and low self-esteem [1,2]. Furthermore, childhood overweight has been shown to adversely affect cardiovascular morbidity and premature mortality in adulthood, either through tracking of overweight into adulthood or through independent effects of childhood overweight [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sedentary behaviors, physical activity behaviors, and body fat in 6-year-old children: the Generation R Study

Wijtzes

Bouthoorn

Jansen

et al. 2014

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act

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BackgroundChildhood overweight and obesity is a major public health concern. Knowledge on modifiable risk factors is needed to design effective intervention programs. This study aimed to assess associations of children’s sedentary behaviors (television viewing and computer game use) and physical activity behaviors (sports participation, outdoor play, and active transport to/from school) with three indicators of body fat, i.e., percent fat mass, body mass index (BMI) standard deviation scores, and weight status (normal weight, overweight).MethodsCross-sectional data from 5913 6-year-old ethnically diverse children were analyzed. Children’s weight and height were objectively measured and converted to BMI. Weight status was defined according to age- and sex-specific cut-off points of the International Obesity Task Force. BMI standard deviation scores were created, based on Dutch reference growth curves. Fat mass was measured my dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Sedentary and physical activity behaviors were assessed by parent-reported questionnaires. Series of logistic and linear regression analyses were performed, controlling for confounders (i.e., socio-demographic factors, family lifestyle factors, and other sedentary behaviors and physical activity behaviors).ResultsSports participation was inversely associated with fat mass (p < 0.001), even after adjustment for socio-demographic factors, family lifestyle factors, and other sedentary behaviors and physical activity behaviors. No other independent associations were observed.ConclusionsThe results of this study indicate that sports participation is inversely associated with percent body fat among ethnically diverse 6-year-old children. More research in varied populations including objective measurements and longitudinal designs are needed to confirm these current results.

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Childhood obesity: public-health crisis, common sense cure

Cited by 2,493 publications

References 146 publications

Clinical efficacy of group-based treatment for childhood obesity compared with routinely given individual counseling

Clinical efficacy of group-based treatment for childhood obesity compared with routinely given individual counseling

Family and early life factors associated with changes in overweight status between ages 5 and 14 years: findings from the Mater University Study of Pregnancy and its outcomes

Sedentary behaviors, physical activity behaviors, and body fat in 6-year-old children: the Generation R Study

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