Treatment of Early Childhood Overweight in Primary Care: Pilot Study
Condition: Obesity
MeSH terms: Overweight; Pediatric Obesity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Childhood overweight continues to increase at an alarming rate and the need exists to find
      effective, accessible intervention strategies to prevent and treat children who are at risk
      for being overweight or are already overweight. The primary care setting provides an
      attractive option for families wishing to receive treatment, yet little is known about the
      feasibility, acceptance or efficacy of this intervention setting. The purpose of this study
      was to test two different primary care treatments that were intended to increase fruit and
      vegetable intake, increase physical activity, and reduce sedentary activity in children ages
      4-8, who are overweight or at risk for becoming overweight. Both treatments involved the
      child and a parent/caregiver and both were conducted over a four month period. The
      parent/child dyads were selected from the pool of families who receive their primary care
      within the Geisinger Medical Center geographic area and who have been identified by their
      pediatrician as being overweight or at risk for becoming overweight (BMI >85th percentile for
      age). One group received weekly mailings which focused on healthy eating, promotion of fruit
      and vegetable intake and physical activity, and methods to reduce TV viewing time. The second
      group received a group-based intervention at one of the Geisinger Pediatric Clinic sites
      using specific behavioral strategies for increasing fruit and vegetable intake, reducing TV
      viewing and encouraging physical activity. Changes in overweight percentage, child BMI, lipid
      profile, glucose/insulin levels, and anthropometric measurements were analyzed, as well as
      treatment satisfaction and acceptance. The investigators hypothesized that children who
      receive Family Behavior Modification (FBM) in the primary care setting will show greater
      reductions in Body Mass Index (BMI), BMI z-score, percent overweight and waist circumference,
      and that children receiving FBM will show greater improvements in dietary intake, increased
      physical activity, reduced sedentary activity, and improvements in cardiovascular outcomes.
    


Intervention name(s): Family Behavior Modification; Minimal Nutrition Information
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Other
Intervention description(s): 5-month intervention for parents and children providing 15 sessions in behavioral skills training in self monitoring, Traffic Light Diet, goal setting, reinforcement and tasting sessions. Of the 15 sessions, 3 were structured as phone sessions.; Families assigned to MNI received a series of 15 mailings on topics related identifying a healthy body weight for children; energy balance and calorie requirements for children; MyPyramid for Kids; portion control; the benefits of physical activity and screen-time reduction; encouraging fruit and vegetable consumption; healthy snacks and smart shopping; and encouraging family meals.
Other intervention name(s): FBM; MNI
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Pediatric Obesity