ABSTRACT
Over the last quarter of a century, the prevalence of overweight and obesity has been increasing at an alarming rate and is now considered by many to be one of the leading public health problems facing our country. Pediatric obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) meeting or exceeding the 95th percentile for age and sex. A primary goal of family-based treatment is to respect normal child and adolescent development by eliminating the obstacle of the illness and allowing the patient to progress in all developmental domains. In adapting this treatment model for pediatric overweight and obesity, the core approach must be modified to take into account that obesity is not a psychiatric disorder. Family-Based Treatment for Pediatric Overweight (FBT-PO) is a framework by which the practitioner can deliver, in a therapeutic and effective manner, the nutrition and exercise information relevant to health promotion in children and adolescents.
