Home visits to identify the roles lifestyle and stress play in families of children with obesity

SummaryOne-sixth of Swiss children are affected by overweight, and despite the implementation of an evidence-based multiprofessional approach, there has only been moderate therapeutic success. An unfavourable home environment and psychosocial stresses on the family may impede lifestyle changes. This longitudinal observational study included children with obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥97th percentile [P.]) or overweight (BMI ≥ 90th P.) with a comorbidity, and who were participating in a regional 12-month multiprofessional group programme (MGP). Two health professionals routinely visited the family home at baseline (T0) to identify obesogenic environmental factors and psy chosocial stress using an observation and question checklist and the Heidelberger stress scale (HSS). At T0 and after an 8-month intensive intervention phase (T1), the BMI standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) and its associations with the environmental and psychosocial factors were assessed. Twenty-ei ght children (17 male) met the criteria for participation in the MGP. At T0, age was 11.2 ± 1.71 years, BMI 28.1 ± 4.7 kg/m2 and BMI-SDS 2.9  ± 0.8, means ±SD. By T1, the mean BMI-SDS had decreased significantly, by −0.11 (p <  .05). The stress scores (30.46 ± 17.8) were elevated and the subcategories of financial and social stress showed a trend towards predicting BMI or BMI-SDS at T0 and T1, but none of the other supposed obesogenic risk factors significantly predicted ...
Source: Clinical Obesity - Category: Eating Disorders & Weight Management Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL RESEARCH Source Type: research