Obese Children in a Community YMCA 'Fun 2B Fit' Program Have a Reduction in BMI Z-Scores

摘要

Childhood obesity continues to be a major health problem in the United States, with more than 30% of children overweight or obese._1 Pediatric weight management programs have been shown to be effective, but the access to these programs are limited by capacity and regional availability.2 Given the magnitude of the problem, efforts have been made to educate primary care pediatric providers on the medical management of this disorder.3 Ancillary services, however, such as dietitian services and exercise programs geared for overweight and obese children, are often lacking in many communities. Some community-based childhood obesity efforts have addressed the physical activity component by establishing YMCA-based exercise programs._4 The Center for Better Health and Nutrition (CBHN) is a pediatric weight management program that includes medical evaluation and treatment for overweight and obese youth. In addition, it includes a comprehensive intervention program called HealthWorks!, which offers dietitian and exercise services._5 The HealthWorks! (HW) program was established in 1999 and was offered only at our main campus until 2006 when the program was expanded to include 4 community-based satellite clinics. This created the need for accompanying exercise programs at the satellite locations. We addressed this need by establishing 4 community YMCA-based exercise programs called "Fun 2B Fit" for obese and overweight children in those communities. With this study, we describe the program's effectiveness and compare the outcome of HW children attending Fun 2B Fit with those enrolled in Fun 2B Fit alone (non-HW).