Parenting Training Plus Behavioral Treatment for Children With Obesity: A Randomized Clinical Trial
An erratum to this article was published (JAMA Netw Open, 2 Jun 2025 ↗)
Authors' conclusion
In this randomized clinical trial examining the effect of parenting training on child weight status, there were no significant differences in weight status between groups; children in both groups had a significant reduction in weight status. However, more children had clinically meaningful weight loss in the FBT plus PT group. Further work is needed to determine factors associated with treatment response and changes in parenting skills.
Study context
- Population
- Children aged 7 to 12 years with overweight or obesity (BMI ≥85th to <99.9th percentile) and one parent, academic center in San Diego, California, 2017–2022
- Participants
- 140 parent-child dyads
- Comparison
- FBT plus intensive parenting training vs FBT alone
- FBT plus parenting training (PT)n = 70
- FBTn = 70reference
- Primary endpoint
- Change from baseline in child BMI z score and BMI as a percentage of the 95th BMI percentile (BMIp95)
- Follow-up
- after treatment (month 6) and at 6- and 12-month follow-up
Methodological details2-arm, randomized 1:1, single academic center
- 2-arm
- Randomized 1:1
- Single academic center
Primary result
As reported in the abstract
Combined BMI z score change after treatment (both groups)
β, −0.14
95% CI −0.21 to −0.07P < .001
Combined BMI percentile (BMIp95) change after treatment (both groups)
β, −3.46
95% CI −5.41 to −1.51P < .001
Secondary outcomes
| Outcome | FBT plus PT | FBT | Estimate | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinically meaningful weight loss (reduction ≥0.20 BMI z score units) · after treatment | 48.6% | 31.4% | aOR 2.10 (95% CI 1.01–4.47) | P = 0.01 | |
| Dropout | HR 1.01 (95% CI 0.72–1.43) | ||||
| 0.20.5125Ratio (log scale) |
Dropout
- Both treatments well accepted; no between-group differences in risk of dropout
Original publication
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