Primary Care–Based Family Interventions for Childhood Obesity

Childhood obesity often has a strong family component. Family-based interventions lead to substantial weight loss but have been studied almost exclusively in resource-intensive specialty clinics (NEJM JW Pediatr Adolesc Med Sep 2007 and JAMA 2007; 297:2697). In this U.S. study, researchers tested family-based interventions in a primary care setting by randomizing 452 children with obesity or overweight to a family-based behavioral intervention or to usual care; parents and siblings (when available) were included. The intervention consisted of 26 in-person sessions with master's degree–level professionals during 24 months and was focused on lifestyle and behavior changes. Enrollment criteria included age 6 to 12 years and body-mass index (BM…