UMass Chan Medical School Faculty Publications
Title
Parent support improves weight loss in adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome
UMMS Affiliation
Shriver Center; Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center
Publication Date
2013-11-01
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Adipose Tissue; Adolescent; Adult; Body Composition; Body Mass Index; Body Weight; Down Syndrome; Female; Food Habits; Fruit; Health Behavior; Health Education; Humans; Intervention Studies; Male; *Parenting; Parents; *Social Support; Treatment Outcome; Vegetables; *Weight Loss; Young Adult
Disciplines
Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms | Mental Disorders | Nutrition | Pediatrics
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess whether parent training in behavioral intervention, combined with a 16-session nutrition and activity education program, would improve weight loss relative to nutrition and activity education alone in adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome.
STUDY DESIGN: Twenty-one patients with Down syndrome aged 13-26 years with a body mass index > /= 85th percentile were enrolled and randomized to a 6-month nutrition and activity education intervention (n = 10) or to a nutrition and activity education+behaviorial intervention (n = 11), and followed for 6 months after the active intervention period (1-year follow-up). The primary outcome measure was body weight; secondary outcomes included percentage body fat by bioelectric impedance; intake of fruits, vegetables, and energy-dense low-nutrient snack food (treats) by 3-day food record; and moderate/vigorous physical activity by accelerometry.
RESULTS: At 6 months, mean body weight in the nutrition and activity education+behavioral intervention group was 3.2 kg lower than that in the nutrition and activity education group (95% CI, 1.0-5.5 kg; P = .005). Mean group differences were sustained at 1 year (3.6 kg; 95% CI, 1.4-5.9 kg; P = .002). At 6 months, moderate/vigorous physical activity time increased by an average of 18 minutes/day compared with baseline in the nutrition and activity education+behavioral intervention group (P = .01) and decreased by 7 minutes/day in the nutrition and activity education group (P = .30). These changes were largely maintained at 1 year, but were not statistically significant. Vegetable intake in the nutrition and activity education+behavioral intervention group exceeded that in the nutrition and activity education group by a mean of 1.6 servings at 1 year (P = .009), but not at 6 months. No between-group differences were observed for percentage body fat or consumption of fruits or treats.
CONCLUSION: Parent-supported behavioral intervention appears to be a successful adjunct to a 6-month nutrition education intervention in achieving weight loss in adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome.
Keywords
UMCCTS funding
DOI of Published Version
10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.06.081
Source
Curtin C, Bandini LG, Must A, Gleason J, Lividini K, Phillips S, Eliasziw M, Maslin M, Fleming RK. Parent support improves weight loss in adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome. J Pediatr. 2013 Nov;163(5):1402-8.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.06.081. Epub 2013 Aug 20. PubMed PMID: 23968742; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3812279. Link to article on publisher's site
Related Resources
Journal/Book/Conference Title
The Journal of pediatrics
PubMed ID
23968742
Repository Citation
Curtin C, Bandini LG, Must A, Gleason J, Lividini K, Phillips S, Eliasziw M, Maslin MC, Fleming RK. (2013). Parent support improves weight loss in adolescents and young adults with Down syndrome. UMass Chan Medical School Faculty Publications. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.06.081. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/faculty_pubs/511