The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
estimates that obesity now affects 17% of all children and adolescents living
in the United States. This percentage has tripled since just one generation
ago. With all of the awareness and focus placed on Americans’ ever increasing
rates of obesity it’s baffling to see that these numbers have yet to decrease.
A type of intervention
that has been shown to work with obese children and adolescents are
comprehensive weight management interventions. These include several components
namely nutrition, physical activity and behavior modification strategies. One
recent study examined two groups of children and adolescents in these programs
with one group having a portion controlled diet and the other having a reduced
glycemic load diet. Both groups were required to have at least one visit with a
Registered Dietitian (RD), although some participants had more than just one
visit.
The results from this study showed that the differences in
diet between the two groups did not lead to any differences in their BMIs.
However, what did make a difference for the participants was the number of
visits that they had with a Registered Dietitian. With every additional visit
with the RD the child’s odds of success increased by 28%. Furthermore, the
probability of success was more than 78% with greater than 1 visit with a
Registered Dietitian per month compared to 43% success rate in children who had
minimal exposure to a Registered Dietitian.
Overall, this study showed that more frequent visits to see
a Registered Dietitian improved BMI outcomes in obese children and adolescents
regardless of the kind of dietary intervention they were on. Registered
Dietitians are uniquely qualified to help combat these ever increasing rates of
childhood obesity. If you or your child are struggling with obesity, get the
help and support that an RD can provide today. You don’t have to do it alone,
in fact you get better results with some help!
~Stefanie Rivera MS, RD, LD/N
Sources:
Center for Disease Control and
Prevention. Childhood Overweight and Obesity. Accessed on 5/15/15. Available
at: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/childhood/index.html.
Kirk Shelley, Woo Jessica G.,
Jones Margaret N., and Siegel Robert M.. Childhood Obesity. April 2015, 11(2):
202-208. doi:10.1089/chi.2014.0079.
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