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Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity Management: A Case Report
Published on: May 30, 2025
Tackling childhood overweight: treating parents exclusively is effective
E Jansen1, S Mulkens, A Jansen
1Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. elgmjansen@live.com
International Journal of Obesity (2005)
|March 3, 2011
Summary
Parent-focused treatment significantly reduced child body mass index (BMI) percentile in overweight children. This approach also improved psychological outcomes and parental BMI, with no relapse observed at follow-up.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Behavioral Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Childhood obesity treatments often yield disappointing long-term results.
- Current interventions primarily target obese children directly.
- The effectiveness of parent-centered interventions for childhood obesity requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate a treatment program focused solely on parents of obese children.
- To assess the impact of parent-directed therapy on children's weight status.
- To identify predictors of successful treatment outcomes in childhood obesity.
Main Methods:
- 98 overweight or obese children (aged 7-13) participated.
- Parents were randomized into a cognitive-behavioral group treatment or a wait-list control group.
- Treatment involved eight sessions for parents.
Main Results:
- Child body mass index (BMI) percentile decreased by 2.4% in the treatment group, but not in the control group.
- Positive effects on eating psychopathology, self-esteem, and negative thoughts were observed in both groups over time.
- Parental BMI also decreased significantly in the treatment group, with no relapse at 3-month follow-up.
Conclusions:
- Parent-focused cognitive-behavioral treatment effectively improves child and parent BMI.
- Long-term efficacy of this intervention warrants further study.
- Waiting for treatment positively impacted some psychological measures in children, suggesting non-behavioral benefits.
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