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Children with Severe Obesity in Family‐Based Obesity Treatment Compared with Other Participants: Conclusions Depend on Metrics
Author(s) -
Hayes Jacqueline F.,
Fowler Lauren A.,
Balantekin Katherine N.,
Saelens Brian E.,
Stein Richard I.,
Perri Michael G.,
Welch R. Robinson,
Epstein Leonard H.,
Wilfley Denise E.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1002/oby.23071
Subject(s) - medicine , obesity , overweight , psychosocial , body mass index , childhood obesity , anthropometry , distress , percentile , pediatrics , severe obesity , physical therapy , weight loss , psychiatry , clinical psychology , statistics , mathematics
Objective This study compares children with severe obesity and children with mild obesity/overweight participating in family‐based obesity treatment (FBT) on change in (1) relative weight and adiposity and (2) psychosocial distress. Methods Children 7 to 11 years old ( N = 241) and their parents participated in 12 months of behavioral treatment (FBT + maintenance treatment) and completed anthropometric, adiposity, and psychosocial assessments (psychiatric disorder symptomology, quality of life). Severe obesity was defined as a baseline BMI ≥ 120% of the 95th percentile ( N = 105). Results At 12 months, 40% of children with baseline severe obesity no longer had severe obesity. Percent overweight and fat mass index measurements showed similar magnitudes of change among children with severe obesity and children with mild obesity/overweight, whereas BMI z score and percent body fat change was lower in the group with severe obesity. Youth with severe obesity were higher on some measures of psychosocial distress at baseline but generally experienced improvements similar to children with mild obesity/overweight. Conclusions FBT with maintenance treatment is beneficial for children with severe obesity and is recommended for use prior to more invasive treatments in severe pediatric obesity. Future studies should assess the necessity of additional treatment, as children with severe obesity still have high relative weights post intervention.