Books can foster weight loss in obese kids

Phoenix, October 5: In a rather atypical approach, girls who read books embedded with a subtle message about good health seem to derive motivation to shed a few pounds, researchers of a new study find.

The study by obesity experts at the Duke University found that obese girls who read a book featuring a weight-management storyline were slightly more likely to control their weight as compared to those in other control groups.

31 severely obese girls aged 9 to 13, were enrolled in a weight-management program at Duke Children's Hospital.

The girls were assigned to read a novel called Lake Rescue, whose protagonist is an overweight preteen who struggles with low self-esteem, feelings of isolation and teasing.

Separately, another book called Charlotte in Paris, which did not have an overweight protagonist, was read by 33 girls, while 17 girls in the third group read neither book.

Six months later, all 31 girls who read Lake Rescue reported a significant decrease in their weight and BMI (Body Mass Indexdefine, a measure of weight in relation to height) scores as compared to the other control groups.

The BMI lowered by .71 for the girls who read Lake Rescue, compared with .33 for Charlotte group. Conversely, nonreaders reported an average .05 increase in the BMI.

"This is the first prospective interventional study that found literature can have a positive impact on healthy lifestyle changes in young girls," Sarah Armstrong, a pediatrician and director of Duke's Healthy Lifestyles Program said.

With obesity being the greatest threat to children, (16 percent of American children age 6 to 19 are either obese or overweight), researchers are looking at a variety of ways to help kids stay healthy and lose weight.

"The two most effective obesity medications on the market, (Orlistat and Meridia) are not approved for children under age 15, and surgical treatments such as gastricdefine bypass are often too risky for kids," Armstrong said.

The unconventional approach wherein a book can positively influence weight loss and decrease BMI is "encouraging because it's fairly easy to implement. And it's a welcome addition to a world where there aren't a lot of alternatives," she added.

"It's a win-win situation," notes Armstrong, "after all, there are few negative side effects to encouraging kids to read."

The findings were presented at the Obesity Society's annual meeting in Phoenix on October 4.