Long-term efficacy of group-based treatment for childhood obesity compared with routinely given individual counselling

Objective: We investigated the long-term efficacy of two childhood obesity treatment programs, routine counselling (two appointments for children) and group treatment (15 sessions separately for children and parents) in a randomised controlled trial. As published earlier, group treatment was more effective than routine counselling in the treatment of 7–9 year-old obese children in the short term. Design: The children's heights and weights were measured 2 and 3 years after the beginning of the intervention and changes in weight for height, body mass index (BMI) and BMI standard deviation scores were used as outcome measures. Results: There were no significant differences between the treatment arms in the changes of outcome measures from baseline to 2- or 3-years follow-up visits. Conclusion: In conclusion, novel efforts are needed for the improvement of the long-term results of childhood obesity treatment programs.