Obesity Discussion Forums

[Obesity Discussion]

A GROUP of Melbourne teens is winning the fight against obesity thanks to a revolutionary program developed in Melbourne.

The Choose Health program uses cognitive behaviour therapy -- not a strict program of diet and exercise -- to help adolescents turn their weight around.
The program comes as experts have identified a huge gap in obesity programs for teens -- and the frightening forecast that for the first time in history, a generation of the world's children could die before their parents because they are overweight or obese.

"Far more attention is paid to treating adult and child obesity than adolescent obesity despite evidence that adolescents require different treatments," said RMIT obesity researcher Leah Brennan.

One in four Australian children and adolescents are overweight or obese and the rate is increasing 1.7 per cent a year -- triple the increase of the United States and double much of Europe.

"The children in this generation may be the first in history to die before their parents because of health problems related to weight," Sydney child health specialist Prof Kate Steinbeck warned.

Ms Brennan devised the Choose Health program, which focuses on healthy lifestyle changes and gradual and maintained improvements in eating and physical activity.

The program, which has run at RMIT since 2003, has delivered some impressive results.

Ms Brennan said study participants had a 6 per cent lower body fat than a control group, had reduced the amount of television they watched and reduced the amount of fat they consumed.

Results are not measured by weight lost because adolescents are still growing.

"The really important thing is we saw maintained improvement in the six months we continued to follow them up," Ms Brennan said.

"We weren't expecting a huge change straight up because we weren't giving them really intense intervention -- we didn't prescribe diet or forced exercise sessions -- we wanted them to make changes to their own environments."

The program teaches adolescents and parents to be more aware of their behaviour and the things that might affect it, and gives them options.

"They need less willpower . . . they are not fighting things that keep getting in the way because we have already worked (on) those things directly," she said.

WANT to be part of the study? Call Leah Brennan on 9925 7376 or email leah.brennan @rmit.edu.au