View clinical trials related to Childhood Obesity.
Filter by:Objective: Obesity amongst children is a public health issue in the United States and is rising at an alarming rate. The purpose of this study is to determine if there is any correlation between At Risk body weight (overweight and obese) and immediate health of the pediatric population. Methodology: As part of routine patient care, we measured length in addition to weight of patients 2 years to 18 years of age presenting to the pediatric emergency department. A report was run monthly to calculate the BMI of all patients for whom data is available. The data were plotted on the year 2000 gender based BMI for age percentile growth charts from CDC. A retrospective electronic chart review was conducted for patients At Risk body weight (BMI ≥ 85%), and were compared to "control" or healthy (BMI of 25 - 75 %) group for six groups of final ED diagnoses of infectious diseases.
The US is in the midst of an obesity epidemic, affecting young children. The pediatric primary care setting is an ideal place to address this problem since most families have frequent contact with their pediatrician and a child's health status is regularly assessed in this setting. Recommendations for treating children with a body mass index (BMI) over the 85th percentile in the primary care setting have been developed by an Expert Committee on childhood. Programs are needed that meet the recommendations from the Committee, which include: 1) beginning treatment as young as possible; 2) focusing on the family, with the parent being the primary change agent for treatment; 3) using behavior modification techniques to change eating and activity behaviors; and 4) making 2 or 3 very specific changes in diet and activity at one time. Thus, the aim of this R21 application is to develop, implement, and evaluate a 6-month behavioral childhood obesity intervention that meets the Committee's recommendations and can be implemented in a primary care setting. A second aim of this project is to determine which eating and activity behaviors should be targeted in the intervention. One hundred thirty-five children, aged 4 to 9 years with a BMI > 85th percentile, assessed and referred by their pediatricians, will be randomized to one of three conditions: 1) a newsletter condition; 2) a Behavioral Parenting Program that increases physical activity (60 min/day) and decreases sweetened drink consumption (< 3 servings/week) (Traditional); or 3) a Behavioral Parenting Program that reduces TV watching (< 2 hours/day) and increases low-fat milk consumption (2 servings/day) (Substitutes). Follow-up assessments on weight, height, and standardized BMI (z-BMI), the primary dependent variable, will be conducted at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Pediatricians will provide follow-up letters to families, regarding weight and height status, following the assessments. This pilot study allows us to determine the feasibility and efficacy of a pediatric obesity intervention that optimizes the role of the pediatrician and meets the Committee's recommendations for treatment in a primary care setting. Moreover, by comparing the effects of targeting the traditional or substitute behaviors, data will be obtained for a power analysis for a full-scale trial of the effects of these two approaches on long-term weight loss.
The purpose of this study is to test the hypothesis that a low-carbohydrate diet and a low-glycemic load diet will improve body mass index and result in more body fat loss than a control diet among overweight children ages 7 to 12. In addition this study is also designed to test the safety of diets with modified carbohydrate content as compared to a conventional weight management diet among younger overweight children.
Community-based environmental approach to obesity prevention targeting first, second, and third grade students in Somerville, MA.