title: Effectiveness of current interventions in obese New Zealand children and adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effectiveness of current interventions in New Zealand in obese children and adolescents accessing either a standard model of care (medical input alone or with the addition of dietitian and physical activity input), or one of the country's long-standing multi-disciplinary intervention programmes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were recorded over approximately 2.1 years of intervention from 290 patients across four centres in New Zealand, who manage obese and overweight children and adolescents aged 3-16 years in paediatric clinics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a small but significant annual reduction in BMI SDS irrespective of the nature of intervention (-0.15 overall). There was no significant difference in BMI SDS between interventions. The extent of BMI SDS reduction decreased with increasing age at first outpatient attendance (p=0.0006). BMI SDS reduction was unaffected by ethnicity or gender.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mild reductions in BMI SDS are achievable in children being referred to and managed for obesity by a range of models. It is important that paediatricians are proactive in identifying and addressing obesity with families. Further research is required to evaluate multi-disciplinary intervention programmes, and how their effectiveness can be increased, given their recognised benefits in improving cardiovascular and metabolic profile, as well as BMI SDS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Taranaki Base Hospital, David Street, New Plymouth 4310, New Zealand. yvonne.anderson@tdhb.org.nz.
authors.forename: Yvonne C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Tami L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Cave
authors.forename: Vicki J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.forename: Nicloa M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Donna M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Woolerton
authors.forename: Cameron C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: Wayne S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Cutfield
authors.forename: José G B
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Derraik
authors.forename: Paul F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Hofman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000628:therapy*; D015431:Weight Loss