Exercise as a modality in the treatment of childhood obesity

In a review of the literature, Glenny et al determined that family therapy and lifestyle modification seem to be effective in the prevention and treatment of childhood but not necessarily adult obesity. Furthermore, research indicates that obese children are better able to maintain weight loss over a long-term period than are adults. Based on the limited research in the treatment of obesity in children, approaches should include family interventions with nutrition and physical activity education, structured exercise, and behavior modification. These interventions should be delivered by a team of health care experts in a nurturing, nonintimidating environment; however, obese children respond differently physiologically and emotionally to exercise than do normal-weight children. Therefore, obese children may experience negative consequences to participation in activities considered appropriate for normal-weight children. In clinical settings, specialized exercise programs based on appropriate theories that include specific recommendations for children with varied obese conditions have been shown to enhance safety, efficacy, and compliance during pediatric obesity treatment. Optimal results may be achieved by combining programs to reduce sedentary behaviors based on similar theories with specialized, structured exercise prescriptions. When used in conjunction with appropriate dietary prescriptions and consistent behavior modification, exercise serves as a promising modality that may reverse obese conditions during childhood and, perhaps, prevent the onset of adult obesity.