Camp-based family treatment of childhood obesity: randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of a 2-year camp-based family treatment programme and an outpatient programme on obesity in two generations.

Design: Pragmatic randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Rehabilitation clinic, tertiary care hospital and primary care.

Patients: Families with at least one child (7-12 years) and one parent with obesity.

Interventions: Summer camp for 2 weeks and 4 repetition weekends or lifestyle school including 4 days family education. Behavioural techniques motivating participants to healthier lifestyle.

Main outcome measures: Children: 2-year changes in body mass index (BMI) SD score (SDS). Parents: 2-year change in BMI. Main analyses: linear mixed models.

Results: Ninety children (50% girls) were included. Baseline mean (SD) age was 9.7 (1.2) years, BMI 28.7 (3.9) kg/m² and BMI SDS 3.46 (0.75). The summer-camp children had a lower adjusted estimated mean (95% CI) increase in BMI (-0.8 (-3.5 to -0.2) kg/m²), but the BMI SDS reductions did not differ significantly (-0.11 (-0.49 to 0.05)). The 2-year baseline adjusted BMI and BMI SDS did not differ significantly between summer-camp and lifestyle-school completers, BMI 29.8 (29.1 to 30.6) vs 30.7 (29.8 to 31.6) kg/m² and BMI SDS 2.96 (2.85 to 3.08) vs 3.11 (2.97 to 3.24), respectively. The summer-camp parents had a small reduction in BMI (-0.9 (-1.8 to -0.03) vs -0.8 (-2.1 to 0.4) in the lifestyle-school group), but the within-group changes did not differ significantly (0.3 (-1.7 to 2.2)).

Conclusions: A 2-year family camp-based obesity treatment programme had no significant effect on BMI SDS in children with severe obesity compared with an outpatient family-based treatment programme.

Trial registration number: NCT01110096.

Keywords: Family-based treatment; Metabolic; Obesity; RCT.