Comparison of Hospital Consultation and Summer Camp Lifestyle Intervention Programs for Sustained Body Weight Loss in Overweight/Obese Greek Children

Evidence Base Update on Behavioral Treatments for Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents

OBJECTIVE

This review provides an update to a previous Evidence Base Update addressing behavioral treatments for overweight and obesity in children and adolescents.

METHOD

Articles were identified through a systematic search of the biomedical literature in PubMed/MEDLINE (1946-), Elsevier EMBASE (1947-), SCOPUS (1823-), Clarivate Web of Science Core Collection (WOS, 1900-), PsycINFO (1800-), The Cochrane Library and Clinicaltrials.gov published between June 2014 and August 2022.

RESULTS

Family-based treatment (FBT) remains a well-established treatment for overweight and obesity in children and is now well-established in adolescents and toddlers. Parent-only behavioral treatment remains well-established in children and is now well-established among adolescents and children. Possibly effective treatments continue to include FBT-parent only for adolescents, and behavioral weight loss (BWL) with a family component for adolescents, children, and toddlers. Several variations of FBT and BWL can now be considered possibly effective including FBT+motivational interviewing, FBT+social facilitation maintenance, group-based FBT, low-dose FBT, BWL+stress management, and camp-based BWL. Cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) for adolescents also met criteria for possibly effective treatments. Current research has also established that behavioral treatments can be effectively delivered in alternative settings (e.g. primary care) and through alternative mediums (e.g. telehealth).

CONCLUSIONS

Research continues to support the use of multicomponent lifestyle interventions in accordance with recent recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, and the United State Preventative Services Task Force. However, more work is needed to ensure appropriate access for children with comorbid medical and psychiatric disorders and children from socially, politically, and economically marginalized groups.

Physical activity and quality of life in children with well-controlled asthma

Background: Asthma is the most common disease in childhood. Appropriate management and programs encouraging exercise enable children to enjoy a good quality of life (QoL).Objective: To assess the association between lung function, physical activity (PA), and QoL in children with well-controlled asthma.Methods: Fifty-four children aged 7 to 14 years attending a Pediatric Asthma Clinic were included. All children underwent spirometry and completed three self-administered validated questionnaires: The Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (GLTEQ), the ACT (Asthma Control Test), and the DISABKIDS for QoL.Results: Mean age of the study population was 11.43(±2.1), BMI, kg/m² (20.8 ± 3.9), FVCpp (97.1% ±12.4), and FEV1pp (99.7% ±12.43), ACT (23.4 ± 3). The GLTEQ revealed that only 3% of the studied population presented satisfactory activity, while 86% were sedentary. Both FEV1pp, and PA were significantly correlated to the children's QoL ((r²: 0.55, p:0.0001), and (r²:0.45, p:0.003), respectively).Conclusions: Despite reasonable asthma control, the children exhibited low physical activity levels, which negatively correlated to their QoL. Families of asthmatic children should be educated to highlight the benefits of exercise and increase the PA of their children.

Recovery of the Foot Loading Patterns of Children with Excess Weight after Losing Weight: A 3-Year Longitudinal Study

It is suggested that children with excess weight should lose weight to reduce plantar pressure and the risk of related injuries. However, whether the foot loading patterns of these children could return to normal after weight loss is unclear. A total of 147 children participated in this longitudinal study; 51 were selected for analysis—13 children who were overweight and 1 child with obesity reduced their weight to normal levels and 37 children maintained normal weights (control group). The plantar pressure parameters, including peak pressure, maximum force, and force-time integral were recorded using a Footscan plate system. Comparisons of plantar parameters and load transferences revealed that weight loss could effectively decrease the differences in foot loading distributions between the weight-reduced and normal-weight groups. After losing weight, the foot loading patterns of the children who were overweight recovered to the level of normal-weight children, and that of the child with obesity failed to reach the normal level. Losing weight is suggested for children who are overweight/obese to recover their foot loading patterns, to avoid further adverse influences on the foot/functioning caused by excessive weight-bearing. Further research exploring the findings of a cohort of children with obesity—who reduce their weight to normal levels—is warranted.