Interventions for preventing obesity in children

1
Interventions for preventing obesity in children

• Cochrane Journal Club
• Patient Vignette

2
Reducing childhood obesity

• Several obesity-prevention projects have been
  tried in your local area, but each has been
  short-lived and there has been no documented
  change in local childhood obesity rates.
• The local health department has asked you to join
  a new committee to tackle childhood obesity,
  alongside family physicians / general
  practitioners, teachers, nutritionists,
  representatives of several athletic organizations
  for children, and parents.

3
Reducing childhood obesity

• All the participants are enthusiastic, but they
  dont agree on which interventions to pursue
• Doctors suggest a drug-based approach
• Teachers seek funding for education programs
• Nutritionists want to promote specific types of
  diet
• Athletic organizations want to encourage more
  sports
• Parents are concerned that anti-obesity programs
  may lead to more disordered eating by at-risk
  children
• You suggest that the final decisions should be
  evidence based and offer to find the relevant
  evidence.

4
Reducing childhood obesity

• You go online and open The Cochrane Library, to
  find a recently updated Cochrane review
  containing more than 50 studies and running to
  nearly 200 pages.
• What key messages do you take back to the
  committee?