title: Guided self-help for the treatment of pediatric obesity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Clinic-based programs for childhood obesity are not available to a large proportion of the population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a guided self-help treatment of pediatric obesity (GSH-PO) compared with a delayed treatment control and to evaluate the impact of GSH-PO 6-months posttreatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty overweight or obese 8- to 12-year-old children and their parents were randomly assigned to immediate treatment or to delayed treatment. The GSH-PO includes 12 visits over 5 months and addresses key components included in more intensive clinic-based programs. Children and parents in the immediate treatment arm were assessed at time 1 (T1), participated in GSH-PO between T1 and T2, and completed their 6-month posttreatment assessment at T3. Children and parents in the delayed treatment arm were assessed at T1, participated in GSH-PO between T2 and T3, and completed their 6-month posttreatment assessment at T4. The main outcome measures were BMI, BMI z score, and percentage overweight (%OW).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children in the immediate treatment GSH-PO arm decreased their BMI significantly more than did the delayed treatment arm (BMI group × time = -1.39; P < .001). Similar results were found for BMI z score and %OW. At the 6-month posttreatment assessment, changes resulting from GSH-PO were maintained for BMI z score and %OW but not BMI (BMI time effect = -0.06, not significant; BMI z score time effect = -0.10, P < .001; %OW time effect = -4.86, P < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The GSH-PO showed initial efficacy in decreasing BMI for children in this study. Additional efficacy and translational studies are needed to additionally evaluate GSH-PO.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. kboutelle@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Kerri N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Boutelle
authors.forename: Gregory J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.forename: Cheryl L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Rock
authors.forename: Kyung E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Rhee
authors.forename: Scott J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Crow
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D004038:Diet, Reducing; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D050177:Overweight / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods*; D012657:Self-Help Groups / Q000458:organization & administration; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss; D061217:Weight Reduction Programs / Q000379:methods*
keywords: childhood; guided self-help; obesity; treatment
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