Obese children and their treatment

: Retrospectively the data were analyzed of 188 children treated for obesity. The mean age at which obesity begins is 5,5 years, but the mean age at which medical help is sought is 9,5 years. In 78% of these children one or both parents were obese. The mean caloric value of the pretreatment feeding pattern was 924 kJ (220 kCal) less than the reference quantities for age. Thirty-nine percent of cases stopped visiting the clinic themselves. Mean weight loss is 10% of the median weight-for-height. No differences were found between the results of various therapeutical regimens.