Addressing childhood obesity in low-income, ethnically diverse families: outcomes and peer effects of MEND 7–13 when delivered at scale in US communities

Abstract

Implementing MEND 7-13 under service level conditions was associated with short-term improvements in anthropometric, fitness and psychological indices in a large sample of low-income, ethnically diverse children with overweight and obesity. A peer effect was quantified showing that benefits for an individual child were enhanced, if peers in the same group also performed well. To our knowledge, this is the first US study to evaluate outcomes of an up-scaled community-based, child weight management program and to show positive peer effects associated with participation in the intervention.