Predictors of Short-Term Follow-Up in an Adolescent Obesity Clinic

Purpose: Lifestyle, dietary, and physical activity changes are the first-line treatment of obesity in children and adolescents. A multidisciplinary clinic is considered the gold-standard to guide families to institute these changes. However, many obesity clinics have poor retention rates, which decreases the efficacy of these interventions. Previous studies have demonstrated that increased visits in a pediatric multidisciplinary clinic is predictive of more substantial weight loss. Examining demographic and behavioral factors which are predictive of follow-up is necessary to improve retention rates and …