Health-related quality of life after camp-based family obesity treatment: an RCT

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of a 2-year camp-based immersion family treatment for obesity with an outpatient family-based treatment for obesity on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in two generations. DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Rehabilitation clinic, tertiary care hospital and primary care. PATIENTS: Families with at least one child (7–12 years) and one parent, both with obesity. INTERVENTIONS: Summer camp for 2 weeks, with four repetition weekends, or lifestyle school, including four outpatient days over 4 weeks. Behavioural techniques to promote a healthier lifestyle. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Children’s and parents’ HRQoL were assessed using generic and obesity-specific measures. Outcomes were analysed using linear mixed models according to intention to treat, and multiple imputations were used for missing data. RESULTS: Ninety children (50% girls) with a mean (SD) age of 9.7 (1.2) years and body mass index 28.7 (3.9) kg/m(2) were included in the analyses. Summer camp children had an estimated mean (95% CI) of 5.3 (0.4 to 10.1) points greater improvement in adiposity-specific HRQoL score at 2 years compared with the lifestyle school children, and this improvement was even larger in the parent proxy-report, where mean difference was 7.3 (95% CI 2.3 to 12.2). Corresponding effect sizes were 0.33 and 0.44. Generic HRQoL questionnaires revealed no significant differences between treatment groups in either children or parents from baseline to 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: A 2-year family camp-based immersion obesity treatment programme had significantly larger effects on obesity-specific HRQoL in children’s self-report and parent proxy-reports in children with obesity compared with an outpatient family-based treatment programme. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT01110096.