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A family-based education program for obesity: a three-year study

Rita Tanas1, Renzo Marcolongo, Stefania Pedretti

  • 1Pediatric Department, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria S, Anna, Ferrara, Italy. tanas.rita@tin.it

BMC Pediatrics
|October 24, 2007
PubMed

Insights

A new family-based Therapeutic Education program effectively reduced childhood obesity, showing better results than traditional diets. This sustainable approach, manageable by a single pediatrician, offers a viable alternative for pediatric obesity management.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Obesity Research

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a growing global epidemic with limited long-term controlled studies.
  • Traditional Behavioral Therapy for childhood obesity requires extensive teamwork and may face acceptance issues.
  • A novel, intensive, family-based Therapeutic Education (TE) program is proposed as a sustainable alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy and sustainability of a family-based Therapeutic Education program for childhood obesity.
  • To compare the TE program with a traditional dietary approach in overweight and obese children.
  • To assess participant acceptance and the program's feasibility for single-physician implementation.

Main Methods:

  • A controlled clinical study involving 190 overweight/obese children and their families.
  • The intervention group received a family-based TE program without strict dietary prescriptions, delivered by a single physician.
  • The control group received a traditional dietary approach; outcomes (BMI% and BMI SDS) were measured over a 3-year follow-up.

Main Results:

  • 72.9% of children in the TE program achieved BMI% reduction versus 42.8% in the traditional group.
  • The TE program demonstrated effectiveness in both moderately and severely obese children.
  • Fewer TE participants experienced negative outcomes (BMI increase >10%) compared to the traditional group (11.8% vs. 25.7%).

Conclusions:

  • The Therapeutic Education program is effective and sustainable for managing childhood obesity.
  • The program demonstrated high participant acceptance and can be managed by a single pediatrician.
  • TE offers a convenient and effective therapeutic solution, particularly when Behavioral Therapy is not feasible.
Abstract

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