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BMI changes in children and adolescents attending a specialized childhood obesity center: a cohort study

Albane B R Maggio1, Catherine Saunders Gasser, Claudine Gal-Duding

  • 1Pediatric sport medicine and obesity care program, Division of pediatric specialties, Department of Child and Adolescent, University Hospitals of Geneva and University of Geneva, 6, rue Willy-Donzé, 1211, Geneva 14, Switzerland. Albane.maggio@hcuge.ch.

BMC Pediatrics
|December 27, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Individual pediatric obesity intervention significantly reduced BMI z-scores in nearly half of child and adolescent patients, particularly the youngest and most severely obese. This approach offers a simpler alternative to group therapies for managing childhood obesity.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Childhood Obesity Management
  • Behavioral Pediatrics

Background:

  • Multidisciplinary group therapies for pediatric obesity are effective but challenging to implement.
  • There is a need for simpler, family-centered obesity management programs.
  • This study evaluates individual family-based intervention for child and adolescent obesity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine changes in Body Mass Index (BMI) z-score following individual family-based obesity intervention.
  • To assess the effectiveness of pediatrician-led intervention in a specialized pediatric obesity center.
  • To identify factors influencing treatment outcomes in pediatric obesity.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort study of 283 pediatric patients (3.3-17.1 years) in a specialized obesity program.
  • Pediatricians utilized an integrative approach including cognitive behavioral techniques and motivational interviewing.
  • Anthropometric data and medical history were assessed; some children received psychological support.

Main Results:

  • A significant decrease in BMI z-score was observed in 49.5% of patients after a mean follow-up of 11.4 months (p < .001).
  • Outcomes were influenced by age, baseline BMI (better in younger, higher BMI patients), and visit frequency (p = .025).
  • Additional psychological intervention showed benefits for children aged 8-11 years (p = .048).

Conclusions:

  • Individual family-based obesity intervention leads to significant weight reduction in approximately half of pediatric patients.
  • The intervention is particularly effective for the youngest and most severely obese children.
  • Trained pediatricians can effectively provide individual follow-up, with psychological support beneficial in select cases.
Abstract

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