Behavioral Modification Programs Help Obese Children Manage Their Weight

Not exactly.

The fat kids still gained weight, only more slowly.

"Obese school-age kids and teens can lose weight or prevent further weight gain if they participate in medium- to high-intensity behavioral management programs, according to a new report released today by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Children in the medium- to high-intensity behavioral management programs studied met for more than 25 hours, usually once or twice a week, for 6 months to 12 months. Effective programs included techniques to improve dietary and physical activity habits, with some featuring strategies such as goal setting, problem solving and relapse prevention...

In a study of one high-intensity, 12-month program reviewed by the researchers, obese children 8 to 16 years old gained less than 1 pound on average, compared with obese kids the same age who gained nearly 17 pounds during the same time period...

The report also showed that adding prescription drugs to a behavioral weight management program helped extremely obese adolescents lose weight. However, no studies evaluated maintenance of weight loss after drug treatment ended...

While there were no reported harms from behavioral intervention alone, there were side effects from prescription drugs. These included mild increases in heart rate or blood pressure from the use of sibutramine. Among those taking orlistat, up to one-third reported abdominal pain, oily spotting or fecal urgency; 9 percent reported fecal incontinence.

The researchers also reviewed the effectiveness of weight-reduction surgery on morbidly obese adolescents who had a BMI of 41 or greater. Although the evidence is limited, results suggest moderate to substantial weight loss."

More ineffective approaches to a problem in the home.

Stop the child abuse and hold the abusers and their co-abusers, including doctors and teachers, responsible.

That will be the way to prevention.