Duke researchers show reading can help obese kids l...( DURHAM N.C. -- It's no secret that r...),Health
DURHAM, N.C. -- It's no secret that reading is beneficial. But can it help kids lose weight? In the first study to look at the impact of literature on obese adolescents, researchers at Duke Children's Hospital discovered that reading the right type of novel may make a difference.
The Duke researchers asked obese females ages 9 to 13 who were already in a comprehensive weight loss program to read an age-appropriate novel called Lake Rescue (Beacon Street Press). It was carefully crafted with the help of pediatric experts to include specific healthy lifestyle and weight management guidance, as well as positive messages and strong role models.
Six months later, the Duke researchers found the 31 girls who read Lake Rescue experienced a significant decrease in their BMI scores (-.71%) when compared to a control group of 14 girls who hadn't (+.05%), explained Alexandra C. Russell, MD, a fourth-year medical student at Duke who led the study and presented the findings at the Obesity Society's annual scientific meeting.
"As a pediatrician, I can't count the number of times I tell parents to buy a book that might provide useful advice, yet I've never been able to point to research to back up my recommendations," says Sarah Armstrong, MD, director of Duke's Healthy Lifestyles Program where the research took place. "This is the first prospective interventional study that found literature can have a positive impact on healthy lifestyle changes in young girls."
Obesity is becoming more prevalent in children, according to the CDC, which reports that 16 percent of children ages 6 to 19 are overweight or obese, a number that has tripled since 1980. Researchers are looking at a variety of ways to help kids stay healthy, lose weight and be more active, but Armstrong says, "most don't work very well. The weight loss options that are effective typically involve taking powerful medications with side effects, or require permanent surgical procedur
'/>"/>
| Contact: Debbe Geiger Debbe.Geiger@duke.edu 919-660-9461 Duke University Medical Center Source:Eurekalert |
Related medicine news :
1. Researchers use nanoparticles to deliver treatment for brain, spinal cord injuries
2. Researchers create first model for retina receptors
3. Researchers Report Stem Cell Advance
4. ALS Patients and Researchers Unite in Boston for 4th Annual Leadership Summit
5. OHSU Cancer Institute researchers study breathing during radiation
6. Satellite Healthcare Announces 2008 Norman S. Coplon Extramural Grants : Grants Foster Next-Generation Kidney Disease Researchers
7. New leukemia signal could point way to better treatment, Stanford researchers find
8. Penn researchers use honeybee venom toxin to develop a new tool for studying hypertension
9. Johns Hopkins researchers suppress hunger hormone
10. Penn researchers identify natural tumor suppressor
11. Two U.S. Researchers Win Prestigious International Science Award
| Copyright © 2003-2009 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |