Significant effects of childhood obesity treatment with a web-based component in a randomised controlled study...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Obesity Research
• Behavioral Health

Background:

• Childhood obesity is a significant global health concern requiring effective interventions.
• Current treatment approaches often lack long-term efficacy and parental engagement.
• The Web-COP intervention was developed to address these limitations by involving parents through a web-based platform.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the combined Web-COP intervention in reducing body mass index standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) in children with obesity.
• To compare the outcomes of the Web-COP intervention with standard care in a pediatric population.
• To assess the impact of a parent-focused, web-based component on pediatric obesity management.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial was conducted with children aged 5-12 years with obesity (International Obesity Task Force BMI [IOTF-BMI] ≥30 kg/m²).
• Participants were randomized to either the Web-COP intervention (group sessions + 12-week web component) or standard care.
• The primary outcome measured was the change in IOTF BMI-SDS at 6 months.

Main Results:

• The Web-COP intervention group showed a significant decrease in BMI-SDS from 3.08 to 2.81, while the standard care group experienced an increase from 3.07 to 3.16 (p < 0.001).
• A clinically significant reduction (≥0.25) in BMI-SDS was observed in 47% of children in the intervention group, compared to none in the standard care group.
• High adherence rates were observed, with 90% of the intervention group completing the study.

Conclusions:

• The parent-focused Web-COP intervention significantly improved BMI-SDS in children with obesity.
• The study demonstrates the effectiveness of integrating web-based parental support into pediatric obesity treatment.
• Web-COP represents a viable and effective strategy for managing childhood obesity.