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Weight-loss program benefited low-income obese children
According to the literature, low-income children are at an elevated risk for developing obesity. By making a commercialized weight-loss program available to this patient population at no cost, researchers found it to be beneficial for weight loss.
“We hypothesized that individuals who participated in the program would have a reduction in BMI z score significantly greater than zero and that there would be no difference in the reduction in BMI z score between boys and girls,” researcher Nia S. Mitchell, MD, MPH, of the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center and Colorado Health Outcomes, said in a press release. “As secondary analyses, we also determined if there was a threshold of participation, in duration or number of meetings, which might be associated with clinically significant weight loss.”
In a nonconcurrent prospective analysis of data from the TennCare Weight Watchers Partnership Program, Mitchell and colleagues examined the weight change of patients aged 10 to 17 years who participated in the program from January 2006 to January 2009. The program was administered to patients with no out-of-pocket cost. They compared the weight loss to the recommendations of the Expert Committee Recommendations Regarding the Prevention, Assessment and Treatment of Childhood and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity, the researchers wrote.
Approximately 96% (n=268) of patients were considered obese at the beginning of the program, 59% (n=165) were considered severely obese, and 4% (n=12) overweight, the researchers wrote. Boys had a higher median BMI z score (2.51) compared with girls (2.34; P<.001). Further data indicate 53% of patients met or exceeded the recommendations of the panel on childhood obesity by the conclusion of the program. Also, median z scores were significantly lower at the last visit compared with the initial visit when combined across all patients (P<.001), researchers wrote.
Mitchell and colleagues wrote that children and adolescents who participated in the program for more than 12 weeks and patients who attended 10 or more meetings demonstrated a 5% decrease in BMI z scores.
“Our analysis suggests that the TennCare Weight Watchers Partnership Program was associated with a majority of participants meeting the recommendations of the expert committee. Providers should, therefore, consider referring their patients to similar structured programs,” Mitchell said in the release.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.