Journal of Pediatric Psychology Advance Access originally published online on June 14, 2006
Journal of Pediatric Psychology 2007 32(1):111-121; doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsl007
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Child and Parental Self-Monitoring as Determinants of Success in the Treatment of Morbid Obesity in Low-Income Minority Children
1 Behavioral Sciences, La Rabida Childrens Hospital, 2 Healthy Living Academies, Division of Aspen Education Group, Northwestern University Medical School and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and, 3 Department of Pediatrics, University of Chicago
All correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Julie N. Germann, PhD, La Rabida Childrens Hospital, E. 65th St at Lake Michigan, Chicago, Illinois 60649. E-mail: jgermann{at}larabida.org.
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Objective To examine self-monitoring by children and parents as related to weight control over 6 months within a long-term multidisciplinary program for low-income minority children with morbid obesity. Methods The weight changes of 228 children with obesity were evaluated according to frequency of child and parental self-monitoring. Predictors of self-monitoring were also evaluated. Results Children who self-monitored on most days lost more weight over 6 months of treatment compared with less-consistent self-monitors. Children whose parents self-monitored were also more likely to self-monitor and lose weight. Conclusions Self-monitoring seems just as critical for successful weight control among low-income minority children with obesity as it is in the middle-class populations. Although lower education and higher levels of psychosocial stress may decrease self-monitoring and participation by these families, they might still benefit from targeting highly consistent self-monitoring (by parents and children) as a primary goal in weight-control programs.
Key words: childhood obesity; cognitive-behavior therapy; minority children; self-monitoring.