Changes in psychosocial health during a 7-week paediatric weight management program

Area of Science:

• Pediatric health
• Psychosocial health
• Obesity management

Background:

• Youth with obesity face higher risks of psychosocial symptoms.
• The impact of pediatric weight management (PWM) on psychosocial health remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate changes in psychosocial health among children completing a 7-week PWM program.
• To assess the effectiveness of a family-centered PWM program on various psychosocial symptom subscales.

Main Methods:

• A 7-week family-centered PWM program for children aged 5-16 with BMI ≥85th percentile.
• Utilized the Paediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) via parent report to measure psychosocial symptoms (internalizing, externalizing, attention) pre- and post-program.
• Assessed 317 participants, analyzing changes in PSC scores and subscales, adjusted for BMI changes.

Main Results:

• At baseline, 16.1% screened positive for general psychosocial symptoms.
• Program completers showed significant improvements in total PSC scores.
• A majority of youth with positive screens improved subscale scores, with many reducing scores to below elevated levels (e.g., 78.3% for internalizing symptoms).
• Improvements in PSC remained significant after adjusting for BMI changes, though BMI changes varied across PSC improvement groups.

Conclusions:

• Short-term PWM programs can enhance emotional and behavioral functioning in youth with obesity and psychosocial symptoms.
• Further research is required to understand the mechanisms and long-term durability of these psychosocial improvements.