Introduction: The prevalence of childhood obesity is increasing rapidly in developing countries. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of exercise training and family-based behavioral treatment (FBBT), either in individual or in group setting,in pre-pubertal children and their mother.~Methods: This is a 6-month randomized controlled trial (RCT) including 75 pre-pubertal obese children (age 8-11 years) randomly assigned to an Intervention (I, n=50) or a Control group (C, n=25). The intervention consists of a family-based behavioural therapy in group (1 session/week with a dietician and a psychologist) or in individual setting (paediatrician or dietician 1x/month). The intervention includes exercise training sessions twice a week (60 minutes each).~Measures include: body mass index (BMI), waist and hip circumferences; whole body and abdominal fat mass by DXA; resting and ambulatory blood pressure; arterial intima-media thickness and vascular reactivity (flow-mediated dilation)using high resolution ultrasound; arterial stiffness by tonometry of applanation; cardiorespiratory fitness by a treadmill test; physical activity; fasting lipids, glucose, insulin, and C-reactive protein levels; health-related quality of life and psychological health using standardized questionnaires and a semi-structured interview. Measures are completed in children and their mother at baseline and 6 months post-randomization.
The aim of this study is to compare the effects of exercise training and family-based behavioral treatment, either in individual or in group setting, in pre-pubertal children and their mother.