Parent-Support Early Childhood Obesity Intervention Beneficial
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Sept. 18, 2023 -- An intensive early childhood obesity intervention supporting parents leads to improvement in weight status outcomes over time, according to a study published online Sept. 18 in the International Journal of Obesity.
Anna Ek, Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues examined weight status 48 months after obesity treatment initiation for 4- to 6-year-olds from 177 families recruited to the More and Less study 12-month randomized controlled trial. Overall, 171 families were eligible for 48-month follow-up; 114 had 48-month data. Three treatment approaches were compared: a 10-week parent-support program with follow-up booster sessions (PGB) or without (PGNB) and standard outpatient treatment (ST).
The researchers found that after 48 months, the mean body mass index standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) was reduced in all groups: −0.45, −0.34, and −0.25 for PGB, PGNB, and ST, respectively, with no significant between-group differences noted. A clinically significant reduction of ≥0.5 of BMI-SDS occurred in 53.7 and 33.0 percent of the PGB and ST groups, respectively (risk ratio, 2.03); no significant difference was seen between ST and PGNB (46.6 percent). The percentage above the International Obesity Task Force overweight cutoff was unchanged from baseline for PGB and significantly lower for PGB versus ST.
"The children in all three groups improved their weight status and saw a reduction in their degree of obesity," principal author Paulina Nowicka, Ph.D., also from the Karolinska Institutet, said in a statement. "The children whose parents received parental support had the best results, especially those who also received follow-up phone calls."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted September 2023
Read this next
Sociodemographics Tied to Rehab Use During Critical Illness Hospitalization
FRIDAY, May 10, 2024 -- For older adults hospitalized with a stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), social determinants of health (SDOH) are associated with use of skilled...
Breakthrough Gene Therapy Enables Infant Born Deaf to Hear
FRIDAY, May 10, 2024 -- Significant hearing improvements have been achieved in an infant with profound hearing loss due to a biallelic otoferlin gene (OTOF) mutation, according to...
Implantable Continuous Flow Device Feasible for Small Children With Severe Systolic Heart Failure
FRIDAY, May 10, 2024 -- The Jarvik 2015 left ventricular assist device (LVAD) seems promising as an implantable continuous flow device for small children with severe systolic...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.