DENMARK: COMPREHENSIVE, EFFECTIVE PROGRAM TREATS CHILDHOOD OBESITY
-> According to a Nov. 8th BBC News article, "Childhood obesity has become a global epidemic, but it is not easy to treat. Now a scheme proven to help children shed pounds by asking them and their families to make numerous lifestyle changes has been adopted across Denmark."A Danish pediatrician claims his pilot project has made a significant breakthrough in the battle against childhood obesity. The scheme, in the town of Holbaek, has treated 1,900 patients and helped 70% of them to maintain normal weight by adjusting about 20 elements of their lifestyles. The way it tackles all aspects of the children's lives - and those of their families - sets it apart from traditional 'small steps' approaches to losing weight...
"At the beginning of the programme, children are admitted to hospital for 24 hours for extensive testing, including body scans to measure their body fat. They also answer a detailed questionnaire about their eating habits and behaviour patterns... The programme requires wholesale changes in lifestyle to defeat the body's natural resistance to losing fat, and each child has a personalised treatment plan which targets 15-20 daily habits [including bicycling or walking to school]..."
Source: <a href="http://bbc.in/1xCDL5Y">http://bbc.in/1xCDL5Y</a>;
from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
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