Active clinical trials for "Pediatric Obesity"

Recently, researchers have been interested in the use of game play, mechanics and psychology for health-related engagement and behavior change. While initial studies have shown some increases in health knowledge and/or behavior through gaming, there remains concern that the vehicle for change is associated with a perceived sedentary behavior (6). More recently, commercially available gaming devices are able to directly promote physical activity through a new set of "kinetic controllers" added to the gaming experience. UHG plans to evaluate the most recent of these kinetic controller technologies in the context of a second iteration of JOIN (described above) to be implemented among a pilot group of overweight and/or obese children whose BMI percentile is above the 85th. This study will evaluate the effect of a commercial controller-free Exercise Gaming and Entertainment Experience (EGEE) on physical activity levels in the context of a weight management program in approximately 70 children ages 6 to12. The study will compare the differences in physical activity levels over 16 weeks in two groups of children.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of high intensity interval exercise (HIIE) on inflammation and endothelial dysfunction found in children with obesity. Our working hypothesis is that, compared with obese children prescribed moderate exercise, obese children prescribed HIIE will demonstrate greater improvements in endothelial function and inflammatory markers following a 6-week exercise intervention.

To date, approaches that show the most promise for preventing and/or reversing the course of childhood obesity involve the delivery of intensive lifestyle interventions within a family-based context, emphasizing the necessity of parental involvement and making changes in family routines and the home environment. Considering that the current demand for pediatric weight management programs far exceed availability, as well as the high attrition rates observed in such programs, there is a great need for more accessible and efficient means of delivering these interventions to reduce the burden of childhood obesity. The goal of this study is to understand whether text messaging and social media platforms can be leveraged to address the important issue of childhood obesity by engaging parent/guardians in one of these strategies, and whether these strategies produce similar outcomes. No existing study has compared these strategies head-to-head, and the investigators believe that this project will be instrumental in understanding the determinants of success in these strategies and allow us to collect sufficient intelligence to be able to deploy these meaningfully to patients as part of usual care.

Outpatient childhood obesity treatment has limited efficacy. This study aims to improve the health habits of parents of obese 5-12 year old children enrolled in the Duke Healthy Lifestyles Program by delivering educational and supportive text messages to the parent's mobile device.

This project will address the important area of childhood obesity and the risk of cardiovascular disease associated with obesity. This is a serious health concern since children who are overweight or obese are prone to other medical conditions including high blood pressure, abnormal lipid profiles,and type 2 diabetes. Although exercise and nutrition programs are recommended, evidence for the efficacy of these programs in improving cardiovascular health is lacking. Specific Aims: a) improve cardiovascular risk factors, b) increase physical fitness levels, c) improve lean body mass, d) enhance QOL of the child e) influence adherence rates to exercise and a healthy lifestyle change both during and beyond the conclusion of the program. Hypothesis 1a: Compared to baseline and matched controls, children randomized to a 10 week multidisciplinary fitness and nutrition program will show significant improved levels of cardiovascular risk factors. Specific Aim 2: To determine if a multidisciplinary fitness and nutrition program, when compared with a matched, WLC group will show a change in whole body assessment including a decrease in fat mass, an increase in percent lean body mass, and a decrease in percent body fat, as measured utilizing dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry Hypothesis 2a: Compared to baseline and matched controls, children randomized to a 10 week multidisciplinary fitness and nutrition program will show improved whole body assessments including. Specific Aim 3:To determine if a multidisciplinary fitness and nutrition program, when compared with a WLC group will show improved levels of fitness. Hypothesis 3a: Compared to baseline and matched controls, children randomized to a 10 week multidisciplinary fitness and nutrition program will show significant improvements in fitness including.

This study expects to evaluate the use of metformin in the management of obese children. Insulin resistance among obese Sri Lankan children (south Asian origin) is high, which had been shown in the investigators previous work. This study will look at the effect of metformin on changes in insulin resistance, fatty liver state, body fat content, BMI and other metabolic derangement.

The ongoing global rise in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among all ages and among all ethnic groups, figures into a real epidemic phenomenon. This is accompanied by a higher incidence in serious health risks, already present at an early age, "switching-on" the engine towards obesity-related co-morbid diseases and morbid obesity. Weight loss is the only way to avoid systemic and cardiovascular complications of obesity. Weight loss devices have been recently introduced in bariatric surgery, also in children. They mostly require invasive procedures to be applied. Mini-invasive devices would be needed to obtain weight loss in the pediatric population, since the early age of involved patients. Obalon intragastric balloons, are swallowable devices. They are filled with liquid or air, and have been used to induce weight loss in obese adults. The investigators aimed to perform a pilot study in pediatrics, and monitor weight loss, metabolic and cardiovascular parameters modifications, after up-to-3 Obalon® Gastric Balloons placement.

The purpose of this study is to help overweight or obese children to maintain or reduce their body mass index (BMI) through the home-based parent training program the investigators developed called DRIVE. The investigators hypothesize that children from families that receive the DRIVE program will show greater maintenance or improvement in their BMIs than families who do not receive DRIVE.

Childhood overweight continues to increase at an alarming rate and the need exists to find effective, accessible intervention strategies to prevent and treat children who are at risk for being overweight or are already overweight. The primary care setting provides an attractive option for families wishing to receive treatment, yet little is known about the feasibility, acceptance or efficacy of this intervention setting. The purpose of this study was to test two different primary care treatments that were intended to increase fruit and vegetable intake, increase physical activity, and reduce sedentary activity in children ages 4-8, who are overweight or at risk for becoming overweight. Both treatments involved the child and a parent/caregiver and both were conducted over a four month period. The parent/child dyads were selected from the pool of families who receive their primary care within the Geisinger Medical Center geographic area and who have been identified by their pediatrician as being overweight or at risk for becoming overweight (BMI >85th percentile for age). One group received weekly mailings which focused on healthy eating, promotion of fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity, and methods to reduce TV viewing time. The second group received a group-based intervention at one of the Geisinger Pediatric Clinic sites using specific behavioral strategies for increasing fruit and vegetable intake, reducing TV viewing and encouraging physical activity. Changes in overweight percentage, child BMI, lipid profile, glucose/insulin levels, and anthropometric measurements were analyzed, as well as treatment satisfaction and acceptance. The investigators hypothesized that children who receive Family Behavior Modification (FBM) in the primary care setting will show greater reductions in Body Mass Index (BMI), BMI z-score, percent overweight and waist circumference, and that children receiving FBM will show greater improvements in dietary intake, increased physical activity, reduced sedentary activity, and improvements in cardiovascular outcomes.

Childhood obesity is a major public health problem in the U.S. Currently approximately one in three children is considered overweight or obese. Most overweight children grow to become overweight adults. It is unclear how effective pediatricians and other primary care physicians can be in assisting overweight children to normalize their body weight. Expert guidelines have been established, but are currently untested. This study will randomize overweight and obese children between the ages of 4 and 8 years old to either the recommended treatment guidelines or a control (non-intervention) group. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ability (a) to recruit overweight children between the ages of 4 and 8 years old (b) to remeasure the children three months after enrollment and (c) to reduce childhood obesity via implementation of the recommended treatment guidelines.