Parental involvement does not augment the effectiveness of an intense behavioral program for the treatment of childhood obesity

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of active parental involvement in a lifestyle intervention for the management of childhood obesity. Design: Forty-two overweight children (32 girls and 10 boys), aged 9.2±0.2 years and with percent overweight 39.8±2.7%, were randomly allocated either to a child-and-parent group (N = 23) or a child-alone group (N = 19). Both groups attended a 3-month multidisciplinary program extended by booster sessions during follow-up, which involved many cognitive behavioral therapy principles and assigned high self-regulation to the children, but differed in parental involvement. Percent overweight was evaluated at baseline, and at 3, 6, and 18 months thereafter. Results: There was no significant interaction between time and group or a significant difference between groups. Percent overweight decreased by 4.9±1.4 at 18 months (p <0.001); the reduction occurred during the active phase of the treatment (0-3 months) and was maintained thereafter. Conclusion: In the setting of the present study, the active parental involvement did not significantly modify the results of lifestyle interventions for children's overweight management.