Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

The My Overweight Child blog will help you keep informed about the latest research, findings, and resources available to parents of overweight or obese kids. There are many knowledgeable people working on the increasingly dire problem of childhood obesity - and we want to give parents a place where they can check in regularly to see the latest studies and tips available to help you help your child lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We invite you to add your comments - if you have feedback for the blog, would like some specific topics covered, or you just want to share your experience as a parent dealing with childhood obesity.

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Weight Management Program for Kids Produced Results, but Only Temporarily

Obese children who participated in a family weight management program were unable to sustain their weight loss after one year.
  • Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh studied 192 children ages eight to 12 years old, who were heavier than 99 percent of other children their age and sex.
  • After six months, children enrolled in the weight-loss program lost 8 percent of their excess weight.
  • However, within a year, the children were at the same weight as obese children not in such programs, and within 18 months, their gains in health markers had disappeared.
  • The children who lost weight had previously shown gains such as reduced waist size, lowered blood pressure, and so forth.
Interventions for obese children have health benefits, but it has to be sustained over time. The treatment needs to somehow be continued, said Dr. Marsha Marcus, author of the study.

This study appeared in the journal Pediatrics.

Labels: weight loss, weight management

Posted By: Aspen/CRC