Outcome Analysis of The B.E. S.T.R.O.N.G. Childhood Obesity Treatment Program: Effectiveness of an Eight-Week Family-Based Childhood Obesity Program Using an Internet-Based Health Tracker.

BACKGROUND

We describe the development, testing, and analysis of the B.E. S.T.R.O.N.G. program, a comprehensive family-based multidisciplinary child obesity treatment program. The program uses an innovative Internet-based health tracker that was developed by the Children's Wellness Institute (CWI) for data collection, analysis, and storage.

METHODS

Data were obtained on 112 subjects who enrolled in the B.E. S.T.R.O.N.G. program in several healthcare institutions during the 2013-2014 academic year. There were 74 females and 38 males. The mean age was 9.75 ± 2.21 years. There were 89 white, 14 African American, 3 Hispanic, and 6 listed as other. Height and weight data were collected during the first, fourth, and seventh week. Diet and exercise data were collected in a HIPAA-compliant manner each week for seven weeks, using the health tracker, and transmitted electronically for statistical analysis and storage.

RESULTS

Subjects involved in the program demonstrated significant weight loss, averaging 3.8% reduction in BMI from their starting point. Weight loss in these subjects was associated with significant and measurable changes in diet, physical activity, and screen time. Participants in the B.E. S.T.R.O.N.G. program increased fruit and vegetable consumption to more than five daily servings and also demonstrated significant increases in the consumption of grains and protein foods. Furthermore, they maintained screen time at less than one hour per day, and increased all forms of physical activity to exceed one hour daily.

CONCLUSIONS

The Internet-based health tracker demonstrated the effectiveness of the B.E. S.T.R.O.N.G. program, delivered by several healthcare institutions, in treating childhood obesity.