Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2011 Mar;19(3):574-80.
doi: 10.1038/oby.2010.238. Epub 2010 Oct 21.

Parent-only treatment for childhood obesity: a randomized controlled trial

Kerri N Boutelle  1 , Guy Cafri, Scott J Crow
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Parent-only treatment for childhood obesity: a randomized controlled trial

Kerri N Boutelle et al. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011 Mar.

Abstract

Parent-only (PO) treatments for childhood obesity are feasible, more cost-effective and potentially easier to disseminate. The objective of this study was to determine whether a PO treatment is not inferior to a parent + child (PC) treatment for childhood obesity. Eighty parent-child dyads with an 8-12 year old overweight or obese child (>85th BMI-P) were recruited and randomized into PO or PC treatment for childhood obesity. Parents or parent-child dyads attended 5-month treatment groups. Child and parent body size, child caloric intake, and child physical activity were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and 6-months follow-up. Noninferiority testing using mixed linear models was used to compare PO treatment with PC treatment. Results showed that the PO group was not inferior to the PC group in terms of child weight loss. Results also showed that the PO group was not inferior to the PC group in terms of parent weight loss and child physical activity, but not child caloric intake. This study suggests that a PO treatment could provide similar results to PC in child weight loss and other relevant outcomes, and potentially could be more cost-effective and easier to disseminate. Although further research is needed, this study suggests that PO groups are a viable method for providing childhood obesity treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

DISCLOSURE

The authors declared no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study recruitment, randomization and completion of parent/child pairs in Minnesota and San Diego.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, Lamb MM, Flegal KM. Prevalence of high body mass index in US children and adolescents, 2007–2008. JAMA. 2010;303:242–249. - PubMed
    1. Epstein LH. Family-based behavioural intervention for obese children. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1996;20(Suppl 1):S14–S21. - PubMed
    1. Epstein LH, McCurley J, Wing RR, Valoski A. Five-year follow-up of family-based behavioral treatments for childhood obesity. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1990;58:661–664. - PubMed
    1. Epstein LH, Valoski A, Wing RR, McCurley J. Ten-year outcomes of behavioral family-based treatment for childhood obesity. Health Psychol. 1994;13:373–383. - PubMed
    1. Epstein LH, Valoski AM, Kalarchian MA, McCurley J. Do children lose and maintain weight easier than adults: a comparison of child and parent weight changes from six months to ten years. Obes Res. 1995;3:411–417. - PubMed

Publication types