Intervention study on obese school-aged children

Obesity is the visible result of a behavioral disease related to eating and drinking habits. Eating and drinking have to be considered as social activities, which means that an obese child cannot be treated separately but only as a part of his family. With respect to our programme, mother and father (usually one of them has some overweight, too) have to be prepared to join a 1-year therapeutic programme. The familial compliance may be strengthened and even guaranteed by the fact that fellow sufferers can be found in the closest circle. The compliance in question is enforced, moreover, because derision on the part of social environment, which results in isolation, brings obese people together. Generally, overweight children and adults try to overcome such difficulties resorting to pleasurable sensation by additional eating. Thus, a vicious circle is formed and sustained. Our behavioral programme takes 1 year. In the beginning those who are willing to participate are accepted into a 'club'. New members enter discussions and their family eating habits are revealed. As overweight people often eat hastily and alone, the programme starts by teaching them how to eat slowly, how to serve themselves (once per meal only) and that they have to take their meals in company. A 3-week camp organized and managed by a team of responsible therapists takes place in the mountains in July/August. The therapeutic team comprises a physician, a psychotherapist, a school psychologist, a home economics teacher, a gymnastics and swimming teacher, and a social worker.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)