A Three-year Behavioral Treatment of Obese Children

The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents has reached epidemic proportions worldwide. Among Swedish 10-year old children 15-20% are overweight and 3-5% are obese. The probability that an obese child becomes an obese adult is very high. This chronic disease requires lifetime treatment. The standard treatment of childhood obesity involves behavioural interventions focused on eating habits and physical activity. Studies often include small study samples, the absence of control groups and short treatments times. Several long-term follow-up studies of shorter interventions are available. The results from these studies are disappointing since the number of children who are "cured" i.e., have become non-obese is low. Thus, effective treatments are currently lacking.The National Childhood Obesity Center treats children in a University hospital setting. The children are enrolled from the catchment areas of the hospital as well as the rest of Sweden. Treatment alternatives include behavioural treatment (individual and group), low and very low calorie diet, pharmacological and surgical treatment. Patients treated with surgical and pharmacological methods safety is ensured using these treatments exclusively in controlled studies. The clinic was the first in Sweden with this wide range of treatment options.

BORIS is a national health care quality register for childhood obesity, supervised by the Swedish Association of Local Authority and Regions.

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Key information

Conditions

Childhood Obesity Body Weight Nutrition Disorders Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Obesity Overnutrition Overweight Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Pediatric Obesity Signs and Symptoms

Age range

6 year–16 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Karolinska University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Dept. of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Division of Pediatrics

Stockholm, Huddinge, 141 86, Sweden

About this study

The primary aim of this study was to compare treatment effects (changes in BMI SDS) during the first three years of behavioral treatment in relation to age at start of treatment. The secondary aim was to evaluate specific factors of importance (gender, heredity, parental weight status, socioeconomic factors and age at obesity onset) for treatment effects. The third aim was to investigate factors correlated to drop out.

This is a longitudinal study of all patients referred to National Childhood Obesity Center between January 1997 and December 2004. Only patients with behavioral treatment were included. Patients with other treatments (VLCD/LCD, drugs and surgery) and other diagnoses (syndromes, craniopharyngioma, Mb Down, myelomeningocele, various types of mental and psychological disorders) and children <6 and >17 year at inclusion were excluded. The remaining children were divided into three age groups of obese children depending of age at onset of obesity treatment (6-9, 10-13 and 14-16year). All patient data were registered in the BORIS nationwide childhood obesity database.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

All children treated with behavioral treatment at the National childhood obesity center Stockholm between january 1998 - december 2004.
Classified as obese by using the Tim Cole standard.

Exclusion criteria

Children with obesity together with other diagnosis
Children with other treatment like pharmacological, low calorie diets and surgery

Treatment and study plan

Individually and in groups

Behavioral

During three year in a clinical setting.

Primary outcomes

Measured as change in BMI SDS.

Time frame: Three years behavioral treatment

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Karolinska University Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

A Three-year Behavioral Treatment of Obese Children: the Effect of Age on Change in BMI SDS and Dropout Rate

Important dates

Study start: 1997
Primary completion: 2007
Study completion: 2007
First posted: Dec 10, 2009
Registry last updated: Dec 10, 2009

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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Completed