Abstract
Aims. To study the influence of low-intensity solution-focused family therapy with obese and extremely obese pediatric subjects on body mass index (BMI) z-scores and self-esteem. Materials and Methods. Fifty-four obese children, aged 6–17 years, were referred to an outpatient obesity clinic. The families received solution-focused family therapy provided by a multidisciplinary team. Height and weight were recorded; BMI and BMI z-scores were derived. Self-esteem was assessed with a validated questionnaire, “I Think I Am.” Parents completed “The Family Climate Scale” assessing family dynamics. Results. Eighty-one percent of the children (n = 44, mean age 11.9 years, mean BMI z-score 3.67, range 2.46–5.48) and their parents participated in the follow-up. Eleven children were treated for 6–12 months, and 33 for more than 12 months. On average, the families received 3.8 family therapy sessions. Intervention resulted in a mean decrease in BMI z-score of 0.12 (p = 0.0001). Self-esteem on the global scale improved after intervention (p = 0.002), and also on sub-scales, depicting physical characteristics (p < 0.001), psychological well-being (p = 0.026), and relations with others (p = 0.046). The Family Climate Scale showed improvement in the sub-scales for Expressiveness (p = 0.002) and Chaos (p = 0.002). Conclusions. Solution-focused family therapy provided by a multidisciplinary team to obese and extremely obese children may prove useful in the clinical setting, with a positive impact on obesity and self-esteem.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Ulla Börjeson Munk (pediatric nurse), Ywonne Peterson (behavioral therapist), Annica Larsson (information manager), and Tove Lindstam (assistant), all members of the childhood obesity unit who also helped in data collection. Peter Höglund performed the statistical analysis of BMI z-score changes. Tomas Sveger provided valuable comments when reviewing the paper. The Childhood Obesity Unit supported this study as part of its mission. The authors have no industry links or affiliations.