Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #291237
Title: A residential summer camp can reduce body fat and improve health-related quality of life in obese children

Author
item WONG, WILLIAM - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item BARLOW, SARAH - Baylor College Of Medicine
item MIKHAIL, CARMEN - Baylor College Of Medicine
item WILSON, THERESA - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item HERNANDEZ, PAULA - Texas Children'S Hospital
item SHYPAILO, ROMAN - Children'S Nutrition Research Center (CNRC)
item ABRAMS, STEPHANIE - Baylor College Of Medicine

Submitted to: Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/7/2012
Publication Date: 1/2/2013
Citation: Wong, W.W., Barlow, S.E., Mikhail, C., Wilson, T.A., Hernandez, P.M., Shypailo, R.J., Abrams, S.H. 2013. A residential summer camp can reduce body fat and improve health-related quality of life in obese children. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. 56(1):83-85.

Interpretive Summary: Childhood obesity is reaching high levels in the United States. Obese children are known to have excess body fat and low self-esteem. In an earlier report, we showed that a 2-week, residential summer camp program could reduce body weight and improve self-esteem among obese children. It is not clear whether reduce body weight will lead to reduce body fat. It is also not clear whether improved self-esteem will lead to a better quality of life. We enrolled obese children into the 2-week summer camp program. We studied their changes in body fat and quality of life scores after the 2-week program. We found that their body fat was reduced by 10 pounds along with better quality of life scores. Therefore, the 2-week, residential summer camp program is proven to be able to reduce body fat along with obtain better self-esteem and quality of life scores among obese children.

Technical Abstract: In an earlier report, we showed that a 2-week, residential summer camp (Kamp K'aana) led to improved body weight, body mass index, body mass index z score, and self-esteem among obese children. To assess whether improvements in body weight and self-esteem translate into improvement in body fat and weight-related quality of life, we measured the changes in body fat by bioimpedance and quality of life by Impact of Weight on Quality of Life instrument on 42 multi-ethnic obese children who took part in our Kamp K'aana program. Significant reduction in body fat was detected with significant improvements in the weight-related quality of life scores.