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BACKGROUND
Ethnic minorities in inner-city impoverished populations have the highest rates of pediatric obesity. And yet, scant published evidence exists regarding successful treatment programs for this demographic. The Yale Bright Bodies Weight Management Program seeks a solution; offering lifestyle intervention for predominantly Black and Hispanic obese children living in the Greater New Haven area.
RESEARCH AIMS
To assess the efficiency of their initiative, researchers conducted a year long “randomized controlled trial that compared the effects of Bright Bodies to the outcomes of conventional clinical management.” Bright Bodies proved the victor, boasting positive changes in anthropometric and metabolic markers beyond those in the clinical group.
As a follow up study, researchers asked if the reported health improvements would still be there a year after completing the weight management program. A novel step for a behavioral intervention study, considering most report only short term outcomes.
SUBJECTS
The study sample consisted initially of 209 ethnically diverse participants; 8-16 year olds with BMIs above the 95th percentile. Excluded were: children diagnosed with medical conditions that would impede full program participation, children prescribed medications that would induce weight gain/loss, and children involved in coexisting weight loss programs.
METHODS
Children randomly assigned to the Bright Bodies group attended lifestyle intervention sessions twice weekly for the first 6 months and twice monthly for the following 6 months, with no active intervention for the last 12 months. These sessions included 40 min classes on good nutrition and weight-control skills, followed by a 50 minute aerobic workout. Where applicable, parents attended classes with their children. They were encouraged to align the household’s grocery shopping and cooking options with the healthy eating the program promoted.
Children randomly assigned to the control group had doctor check-ins every 6 months. At these visits they’d receive 30 min of general diet and exercise counseling followed by 30 min of psychosocial counseling. Parent involvement was not stressed.
RESULTS
Of the 174 children who finished the 12 month randomized trial, 76 were available for follow-up data at 24 months. Dropout rates were not statistically different among the control clinical group and the lifestyle intervention group.
When compared with a standard clinical care, the Bright Bodies group showed sustained improvements in body weight, body composition, plasma lipids and insulin, and insulin sensitivity. Limitations of this study include high attrition rate at 24 months, lack of information from food diaries or activity records, and lack of psychosocial measures.
SIGNIFICANCE
“This study, unprecedented because of the high degree of obesity and ethnically diverse backgrounds of children, reveals that benefits of an intensive lifestyle program can be sustained 12 months after completing the active intervention phase” writes study author. The outcome gives us hope that behavior change is possible, even in the most challenging and underrepresented populations.
ARTICLE/AUTHOR INFORMATION
M. Savoye, et al. "Long-term Results of an Obesity Program in an Ethnically Diverse Pediatric Population." A randomized clinical trail. Pediatrics Feb 7, 2011
BACKGROUNDEthnic minorities in inner-city impoverished populations have the highest rates of pediatric obesity. And yet, scant published evidence exists regarding successful treatment programs for this demographic. The Yale Bright Bodies Weight Management Program seeks a solution; offering lifestyle intervention for predominantly Black and Hispanic obese children living in the Greater New Haven area.
RESEARCH AIMS
To assess the efficiency of their initiative, researchers conducted a year long “randomized controlled trial that compared the effects of Bright Bodies to the outcomes of conventional clinical management.” Bright Bodies proved the victor, boasting positive changes in anthropometric and metabolic markers beyond those in the clinical group.
As a follow up study, researchers asked if the reported health improvements would still be there a year after completing the weight management program. A novel step for a behavioral intervention study, considering most report only short term outcomes.
SUBJECTS
The study sample consisted initially of 209 ethnically diverse participants; 8-16 year olds with BMIs above the 95th percentile. Excluded were: children diagnosed with medical conditions that would impede full program participation, children prescribed medications that would induce weight gain/loss, and children involved in coexisting weight loss programs.
METHODS
Children randomly assigned to the Bright Bodies group attended lifestyle intervention sessions twice weekly for the first 6 months and twice monthly for the following 6 months, with no active intervention for the last 12 months. These sessions included 40 min classes on good nutrition and weight-control skills, followed by a 50 minute aerobic workout. Where applicable, parents attended classes with their children. They were encouraged to align the household’s grocery shopping and cooking options with the healthy eating the program promoted.Children randomly assigned to the control group had doctor check-ins every 6 months. At these visits they’d receive 30 min of general diet and exercise counseling followed by 30 min of psychosocial counseling. Parent involvement was not stressed.
RESULTSOf the 174 children who finished the 12 month randomized trial, 76 were available for follow-up data at 24 months. Dropout rates were not statistically different among the control clinical group and the lifestyle intervention group.
When compared with a standard clinical care, the Bright Bodies group showed sustained improvements in body weight, body composition, plasma lipids and insulin, and insulin sensitivity. Limitations of this study include high attrition rate at 24 months, lack of information from food diaries or activity records, and lack of psychosocial measures.
SIGNIFICANCE
“This study, unprecedented because of the high degree of obesity and ethnically diverse backgrounds of children, reveals that benefits of an intensive lifestyle program can be sustained 12 months after completing the active intervention phase” writes study author. The outcome gives us hope that behavior change is possible, even in the most challenging and underrepresented populations.ARTICLE/AUTHOR INFORMATION
M. Savoye, et al. "Long-term Results of an Obesity Program in an Ethnically Diverse Pediatric Population." A randomized clinical trail. Pediatrics Feb 7, 2011
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