Researchers have found that home-based weight management programmes may be beneficial for both kids as well as parents.
The study, published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behaviour, found that the DRIVE curriculum — Developing Relationships that Include Values of Eating and Exercise — reduces weight gain in kids and also prompts their parents to lose weight.
“Parents are the most important and influential people in a child’s environment,” said study researchers Keely Hawkins and Corby K. Martin from Louisiana State University in the US.
For the study, 16 families were examined based on their child’s obesity risks for over 19 weeks. Kids aged 2-6 years, and with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 75 per cent were enrolled. Families were randomly assigned to receive health information only or DRIVE intervention.