An Evaluation of Enhanced Self-Regulation Training in the Treatment of Childhood Obesity

Abstract

Obese children (8–13 years old) and at least one of their parents participated in a behaviorally oriented treatment program. Participants in a standard treatment condition experienced a multicomponent intervention in which parents were given primary responsibility for following program prescriptions. An enhanced child involvement condition provided the same basic intervention but with greater emphasis on, and training in, child self-regulation. Children in both conditions achieved a significant reduction in percentage overweight and triceps skin-fold during the 6-month treatment period. Overall, the follow-up period of 3 years was characterized by increases above posttreatment levels. There was, however, some suggestion in the 3-year follow-up results and the long-term patterns over a 6 ½-year period of the benefits of the enhanced child involvement approach. Findings are discussed in terms of suggestions for reconsideration of treatment goals, improved interventions, and refinements in the assessment of self-regulatory behavior.