ABSTRACT
Childhood is an opportune time to address the serious disease of obesity. Since children are still growing, slowing their rate of weight gain or encouraging modest weight losses can help children normalize their weight [1]. However, it is this very fact that children are still growing that has often resulted in obesity in childhood not being treated seriously. The assumption has been that a child who is overweight or obese will “grow out of it,” but this is not the case. Without effective intervention, an estimated 82% of children who are obese, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile for sex and age [2], will track obesity into adulthood [3]. As reviewed in other chapters in this book, obesity at any age is associated with major physical (e.g., type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease) and psychological health burdens (e.g., depression) [4,5] that are costly to the individual as well as to society. For example, current health-care costs related to obesity are estimated to be $315.8 billion annually or 27.5% of health-care spending in the United States [6]. By successfully addressing obesity in childhood, not only do we help children lead healthier, happier lives but we may also be engaging in a form of indicated or targeted prevention of obesity and its costly comorbidities in adulthood [7]. Fortunately, effective treatments for childhood obesity have been developed, and in this chapter we will (1) provide a brief review of the literature in support of treatment of childhood obesity, (2) describe the components of family-based behavioral treatments for childhood obesity, (3) summarize the factors found to impact or predict the effectiveness of these treatments, and (4) explore future directions in the management of childhood obesity.
