An Intensive Family Intervention Clinic for Reducing Childhood Obesity

Article Figures & Data

Table 1. Participants of Meetings Led by Dieticians and Social Workers

Meeting	Subject	Participants
1	The meaning of a healthy lifestyle and the changes required in the environment and behavior patterns, including shopping, exposure, choices, cooking, and eating habits	Parents
2	Promoting the motivation for a change	Parents
3	The meaning of an active lifestyle: changing the family's physical activity patterns	Parents
4	The parent as a role model	Parents and children role playing
5	Parenting style and general parenthood skills	Parents
6	Responsibility and boundaries in eating habits	Parents
7	Strategies for dealing with conflicts and objections	Parents
8	Family communication and adequate childhood body image	Parents and children role playing
9	Self-esteem promotion skills	Parents
	Self- and body confidence	Children
10	Food variety and introduction to nutrients; choosing appropriate high-value foods	Parents
	Healthy nutrition habits	Children
11	How to spend leisure time; introduction to food labeling	Parents
12	Behavior skills at parties and social events	Parents
	Dealing with tempting environment and developing resilience	Parents and children

Table 2. Descriptive Characteristics of Study Groups

Variable	Intervention Group (n = 100)	Comparison Group (n = 943)	P Value
Mean age ± SD at recruitment, years	9.03 ± 1.6	9.0 ± 2.7	.912
Girls (%)	63.0	43.7	<.001
Socioeconomic rank (%)
1–5	3.4	9.3	<.001
6–10	12.4	28.3
11–15	42.7	38.7
16–20	41.6	33.7

Table 3. Z-scores and Weight Categories by Study Groups

Variable	Intervention Group	Comparison Group	P Value
Mean z-score ± SD
At baseline measurement	2.07 ± 0.35	2.12 ± 0.3	.099
After the intervention	1.74 ± 0.8	1.95 ± 0.4	.019
At last measurement	1.75 ± 0.6	—	<.000^*
Weight categories at baseline (%)
Overweight	25.0	29.6	.337
Obesity	75.0	70.4	.337
Weight categories after intervention^{^†} (%)
Normal	13.0	4.8	<.001
Overweight	53.0	32.9
Obesity	34.0	62.4

↵* Paired t test, baseline measurement vs. last measurement (average of 46.7 months from baseline).
↵† Next measurement after the intervention ended; z-score controls for age and sex.
SD, standard deviation.

Table 4. Linear Regression Analysis Results for the Dependent Variable Δ Z Score (After Intervention − Baseline Measurements)

Model	B^*	Standard Error	P Value
Model 1: all children
Intervention	−0.118	0.049	.016
SER	0.046	0.016	.004
Model 2: obese children
Intervention	−0.112	0.056	.047
SER	−0.059	0.019	.02
Model 3: overweight children
Intervention	−0.128	0.099	.195
SER	−0.014	0.029	.621