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Slower eating pattern, behavioral counseling promote weight loss in adolescents
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Adolescents who ate meals more slowly — using an hourglass to pace their timing between bites — lost weight at 6 months and 1 year, whereas those who did not adhere to the meal timing program gained weight, according to research in Pediatric Obesity.
Beatriz Yadira Salazar Vazquez, MD, PhD, of Universidad Juarez del Estado de Durango, Mexico, and colleagues analyzed data from 54 Mexican children aged 6 to 17 years (36 boys; mean age, 12 years) recruited to participate in a program to promote healthier eating habits; 36 children served as controls (21 girls; mean age, 13 years). There were no weight criteria for participation in the study. All participants received a 30-second hourglass to pace the timing between bites during meals and recorded whether they used the hourglass on a provided card. Participants using the hourglass 4 or more days per week were considered to be adhering to the study; participants with more than 50% weekly adherence at 6 months were considered part of the “adhering” group. Researchers also encouraged participants to eat home-cooked meals at the table, eat slowly, drink water before eating, and avoid snacking between meals; the control group did not receive instructions.
At baseline, the adhering group (n = 16) had a significantly higher weight vs. the nonadhering (n = 26) or control groups (mean weight, 66 kg vs. 52.5 kg and 54.5 kg, respectively). However, at 6 months, the adhering group had lost a mean of 2.8 kg and an additional mean of 0.2 kg at 1 year; the nonadhering group gained a mean of 1.5 kg at 6 months and an additional mean of 5.5 kg at 1 year. Controls gained a mean of 5.9 kg at 1 year. Waist circumference did not change for the adhering group at 6 months or 1 year, but increased significantly for the nonadhering and control groups. BMI followed a similar pattern.
“The program focuses on appropriate eating habits by means of an inexpensive, portable hourglass that directs attention and interest to the eating process per se, rather than outcome, ie, weight loss,” the researchers wrote. “Our results suggest that the combination of behavioral training and focused eating monitoring may constitute a weight-control method that can be promoted for children and adolescents, at moderate costs and with lasting effects.” – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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