Background: Comprehensive, residential treatment for severe obesity in adolescents may be an alternative to bariatric surgery and more efficacious than outpatient treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a long-term cognitive-behavioral therapy-based immersion obesity treatment program for adolescents.
Methods: Twelve obese adolescents with BMIs above the 95th percentile completed a 14- to 18-week multicomponent intervention.
Results: We observed significant improvements in BMI z-score, waist circumference, mile run time, and blood lipids.
Conclusion: This study suggests that the tested program may be effective, at least in the short term; a randomized, controlled trial to further assess this model is warranted.