Target parents to tackle childhood obesity: Study

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDMar 30 2011

A new study has shown that educating parents on healthy eating could be more effective at reducing childhood obesity than physical activity. The study came from researchers from the universities of Newcastle and Wollongong who found that targeting parents rather than children is the key to combating childhood obesity. The study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Associate Professor Tony Okely from the University of Wollongong said on Tuesday, “The results indicate that by targeting the parents predominantly, we can make a huge difference to this global epidemic.” The two year study, titled, Hunter Illawarra Kids Challenge Using Parent Support (HIKCUPS), involved 165 overweight children of primary-school age and their parents, who were divided into three groups. In the first group, parents underwent a nutrition program in which they were encouraged to change the whole family's food habits. In the second group, kids were given physical education training; and in the third, both methods were used.

The results surprised the researchers involved. “When we started the study, our hypothesis was that the group where both the parents and the kids got treated would do the best, but they actually didn't,”" Professor Clare Collins from the University of Newcastle said. Instead, the group where the parents were targeted and the kids did not receive any treatment achieved the best result. “All three arms of the research had positive results, but the group that stood out as being the slimmest, relatively, after two years was the parent-only group,” said Prof Collins, an expert in nutrition and dietetics.

Researchers believe it is possible that the parent-only group worked harder to implement healthy eating habits once they discovered their child would not be doing the physical activity. “The entire study involved parents who all recognized there was a problem in that their child was overweight…If you have got your child being more physically active, that is wonderful. But at the end of the day, the most powerful result came from the parents saying, `Right, that's it, I'm changing the food environment.’” Professor Collins said.

According to Prof Okely, an associate professor in the University of Wollongong's Faculty of Education and director of the Interdisciplinary Educational Research Institute this study is “critically important”. “However, our findings show that the most effective childhood obesity treatment is parents being given good quality advice and support to improve the family's food habits,” he said.

In the study the parents were taught to set family food goals, monitoring food intake, selecting lower-fat food versions and introducing healthy snacks. Researchers believe the results could potentially increase the number of treatment options available for childhood obesity. “Until now, health programs have commonly targeted children…This research shows that we can target parents alone, even without the child's involvement, and achieve better results,” Prof Collins said

The research comes after separate studies in Victoria and South Australia this week found childhood obesity had declined in recent years, although experts admit there is a long way to go towards reversing the trend. National figures released last week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) acknowledged concerns over rising obesity.

The number of overweight or obese four-year-olds has witnessed a welcome drop in South Australia. The information shared by state Health Minister John Hill reveals that there has been a reduction in obesity cases involving children less than four years of age; and the state government is hopeful that it will be able to further bring down in the number of such cases.

This comes after the government’s efforts like ban on junk food sales in school canteens, as well as the introduction of a healthy food and drink choice policy in all healthcare facilities. Statistics put forth by Hill show that the percentage of overweight four-year-olds in SA fell to 18.3 percent in 2009, vis-à-vis the 2003 figures of 20.1 percent; thereby indicating that there has been a clear plunge in the number of overweight and obesity rates in the state.