| ||||||
Weight Management Program Cuts Diabetes Risk, Improves BMI in Overweight Children |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
From EurekAlert! - Breaking News: A family-based weight management program developed by researchers at Yale School of Medicine was more effective at reducing weight, body fat, body mass index (BMI) and insulin sensitivity than traditional clinic-based weight counseling. Mary Savoye-Desanti, research associate in Yale's Department of Pediatrics, will present the findings at a JAMA media briefing in New York on June 26 at 10 a.m. Savoye-Desanti, a registered dietician and certified diabetes educator, and her team conducted the one-year clinical trial of 209 overweight children between the ages of 8 and16 to address the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity, especially in the African American and Hispanic population. Savoye-Desanti and colleagues measured the effectiveness of the weight management program Bright Bodies, in comparison to care provided at a pediatric obesity clinic. Bright Bodies was created 10 years ago by Savoye-Desanti and combines nutrition education, behavior modification and exercise tailored to the needs of inner-city children. The eight to 10-year-old group participated in several games such as relay races, obstacle courses and several other games including "Swim Fish Swim." Both groups played "Dance, Dance Revolution" by Konami. The study revealed great differences in BMI, body weight, body fat and percent body fat between the control group and the weight management group. Insulin sensitivity, which measures the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, was increased in the weight management group and decreased in the control group. "We will focus future studies on cost-benefit analyses, as this would be helpful for pediatric clinicians or health management organizations that are considering offering similar services to overweight children and adolescents," said Savoye-Desanti.
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
