The association of self-regulation with weight loss maintenance after an intensive combined lifestyle intervention for children and adolescents with severe obesity

J. Halberstadt, Emely de Vet, Chantal Nederkoorn, Anita Jansen, O.H. van Weelden, Iris Eekhout, Martijn W Heymans, J.C. Seidell

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Background: Knowledge is limited on the role the ability to self-regulate plays in the long-term outcome of
obesity treatment in children and adolescents with severe obesity. The purpose of this study was to determine
whether the ability to self-regulate after an one year intensive, partly inpatient, combined lifestyle intervention is
associated with weight loss maintenance in children and adolescents with severe obesity.
Methods: One hundred twenty participants (8–19 years) with an average SDS-BMI of 3.41 and their parents/caregivers
were included in an intervention study. As primary determinant of weight loss maintenance, general self-regulation
ability was evaluated using two behavioral computer tasks assessing inhibitory control and sensitivity to reward.
Results: There was no association between inhibitory control at T12 and ΔSDS-BMI between T12 and T24 (β = 0.
0002; CI 95% = −0.0010–0.0014; P = 0.761). There was also no relation between sensitivity to reward at T12 and
ΔSDS-BMI between T12 and T24 (β = −0.0028; CI 95% = −0.0075–0.0019; P = 0.244). None of the psychosocial
factors that were examined as moderators, showed a statistically significant interaction, except for parental
feeding style (P = 0.023).
Conclusions: The ability to self-regulate after an intensive, partly inpatient, multidisciplinary one year intervention
for severe obesity in children and adolescents was not associated with the ability to maintain the achieved weight loss
during the following year. Factors that explain the large range of long term outcomes need to be elucidated.
Trial registration: Netherlands Trial Register (NTR1678, registered 20-Feb-2009).
Keywords: Childhood obesity, Weight loss maintenance, Self-regulation, Inhibition, Reward
Original languageEnglish
Article number13
Pages (from-to)1-10
Number of pages10
JournalBMC Obesity
Volume4
Issue number13
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2017

Funding

The study is funded by The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw). The funding body had no role in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript.

FundersFunder number
Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development
ZonMw

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