title: Dietary self-monitoring and its impact on weight loss in overweight children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether dietary self-monitoring is related to weight loss in overweight children and whether perceived social support or dietary self-efficacy affects this relation. Design. Longitudinal, behavioral intervention study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population included 153 children, aged 7-12 years, with daily food records from a 20-week weight loss program in San Diego, California, USA, conducted between 1999 and 2002. Methods. Self-monitoring was assessed using two methods: a weekly index as a measure of competency (possible range -7 to +35) and recording sufficiency for total compliance (percentage of days).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significantly greater decreases in percentage overweight were found for children with recording competency at or above the median (mean change: -13.4% vs. -8.6%; p < 0.001) or who were compliant in recording -50% of the days (mean change: -13.0% vs. ?8.4%; p < 0.001). Using hierarchical linear regression, children who had a higher average weekly monitoring index or recorded sufficiently on more days had significantly greater decreases in percent overweight, after adjusting for age, sex, SES, race/ethnicity and baseline percent overweight (p < 0.001). Perceived social support at baseline and dietary self-efficacy were not related to self-monitoring or change in percent overweight in this sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As has been demonstrated with adults and adolescents, self-monitoring in children was associated with greater decreases in percent overweight. However, dietary self-efficacy and perceived social support were not related to how frequently or thoroughly they monitored dietary intake.
authors: San Diego State University Graduate School of Public Health, California 92503, USA. dmockus@rivcocha.org
authors: Danyte S
authors: DS
authors: Mockus
authors: Caroline A
authors: CA
authors: Macera
authors: Deborah L
authors: DL
authors: Wingard
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Peddecord
authors: Ronald G
authors: RG
authors: Thomas
authors: Denise E
authors: DE
authors: Wilfley
mesh_terms: D002140:California; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012648:Self Care; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012944:Social Support; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss