Food Franchises
Most center-based weight-loss programs are adult-oriented, but some may accommodate children. Yet some of the reasons these programs work — accountability through meeting attendance, group motivation, weekly weigh-ins — may not always be a successful approach for children.
Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers — perhaps the most recognized weight-loss program in the United States — was founded in the early 1960s. The program is designed around weekly peer and leader meetings that provide support, education, and a sense of accountability. The current program uses a points system that assigns a point value to certain foods. Based on current weight, goal weight, and activity level, Weight Watchers members are allotted a certain number of points that they can consume each day.
The program does allow children between the ages of ten and sixteen to participate at many meeting locations, provided that they have a signed doctor's note that indicates their weight goal, and a signed health release form from their parents.
A 2004 study found that among people who completed both the weight loss and the maintenance phases of the Weight Watchers program, participants reported maintaining up to 87 percent of their weight loss after two years had passed, and over half their weight loss at the five-year mark.
Other Weight Loss Programs
There are a handful of formal programs that have been developed specifically for children. One of these — Shapedown — was developed in 1979 at the University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco.
Shapedown is a ten-week, age-appropriate program designed for children, adolescents, and their parents that incorporates weekly support groups, food and activity journals, and workbooks with a focus on family lifestyle changes towards fitness. The program is usually based in community hospitals and health-care facilities, and group instructors (who are typically health-care professionals) undergo a minimum of forty-six hours of clinical education and training in the program from the University of California. A study published in the
Weight loss or fitness camps can be an additional source of assistance in the quest for weight control for some families. When looking at camps, make sure you choose one that is both accredited by the American Camping Association and that incorporates family education into its program. Chapter 13 has more information on camps.
