[Influence of nutritional education on management of infantile-juvenile obesity]

To analyze the therapeutic response in a group of obese patients to a therapy program based on nutritional education, auto-management, and intensive follow-up.

Sixty clinical charts have been reviewed of patients with exogenous obesity (42 female and 18 male patients) submitted to management program and intensive follow-up (every three months controls) for a continuous period of 24 months. The following variables were registered: sex, chronological age (CA), bone age (BA), and percent body mass index (%BMI) in he first visit; %BMI in each control day, and therapeutic response (drop-outs, improvements, and failures) at 12 and 24 months of follow-up.

Mean values for age and CA/BA ratio were 9.7 years (males: 9.7; and females: 9.7), and 1.12 (males: 1.1; and females: 1.12), respectively. Average basal %BMI was 144.7 (95% CI: 4.4), being significantly higher in male patients. There was a progressive decrease from basal %BMI that was statistically significant from 18 months of follow-up in female patients (p < 0.05). At 12 and 24 months of follow-up, 20% and 30% had mild improvement, although 58.3% and 60% had a decreased basal %BMI, respectively. At 24 months of follow-up, the rate failure was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in males (83.3% vs 42.8%), where the success rate was higher among females (40.5% vs 5.5%), the total dropout rate being 15%. Growth was kept normal independently of gender and/or therapeutic response.

Individualized information and intensive follow-up favor good acceptance and/or adhesion to the therapeutic program, and it allows for instilling health education to patients and/or relatives that, particularly in motivated patients, conditions a series of behavioral rules essential for controlling obesity.