Maintenance of Weight Loss in Adolescents: Current Status and Future Directions

There is a dearth of research on the long-term efficacy and safety of treatments for adolescent obesity. This narrative review examined several approaches to treatment, focusing on long-term effectiveness data in adolescents, as well as relevant findings from studies of adults. The available researc...

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Main Authors: Meghan L. Butryn, Thomas A. Wadden, Margaret R. Rukstalis, Chanelle Bishop-Gilyard, Melissa S. Xanthopoulos, Delroy Louden, Robert I. Berkowitz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2010-01-01
Series:Journal of Obesity
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/789280
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author Meghan L. Butryn
Thomas A. Wadden
Margaret R. Rukstalis
Chanelle Bishop-Gilyard
Melissa S. Xanthopoulos
Delroy Louden
Robert I. Berkowitz
author_facet Meghan L. Butryn
Thomas A. Wadden
Margaret R. Rukstalis
Chanelle Bishop-Gilyard
Melissa S. Xanthopoulos
Delroy Louden
Robert I. Berkowitz
author_sort Meghan L. Butryn
collection DOAJ
description There is a dearth of research on the long-term efficacy and safety of treatments for adolescent obesity. This narrative review examined several approaches to treatment, focusing on long-term effectiveness data in adolescents, as well as relevant findings from studies of adults. The available research suggests that lifestyle modification has promise in obese adolescents, although it is not clear that any particular dietary or physical activity approach is more effective than another. Meal replacements are quite effective in adults and deserve further research in adolescents. Extending the length of treatment to teach weight loss maintenance skills is likely to improve long-term outcomes in adolescents, and delivering treatment via the Internet or telephone is a novel way of doing so. Treatment that combines lifestyle modification with the medication orlistat generally appears to be safe but only marginally superior to lifestyle modification alone. More research is needed on the management of adolescent obesity, which has been overlooked when compared with research on the treatment of obesity in children and adults.
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spelling doaj-art-ef11467af820409d823e63bb37054c8a2025-08-20T03:21:15ZengWileyJournal of Obesity2090-07082090-07162010-01-01201010.1155/2010/789280789280Maintenance of Weight Loss in Adolescents: Current Status and Future DirectionsMeghan L. Butryn0Thomas A. Wadden1Margaret R. Rukstalis2Chanelle Bishop-Gilyard3Melissa S. Xanthopoulos4Delroy Louden5Robert I. Berkowitz6Department of Psychology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USADepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USACenter for Health Research, Geisinger Health Systems, Danville, PA 17822, USADepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USADepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3440 Market Street, Suite 410, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USAAnguilla Community College, George Hill British West Indies, PA 19104, USADepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USAThere is a dearth of research on the long-term efficacy and safety of treatments for adolescent obesity. This narrative review examined several approaches to treatment, focusing on long-term effectiveness data in adolescents, as well as relevant findings from studies of adults. The available research suggests that lifestyle modification has promise in obese adolescents, although it is not clear that any particular dietary or physical activity approach is more effective than another. Meal replacements are quite effective in adults and deserve further research in adolescents. Extending the length of treatment to teach weight loss maintenance skills is likely to improve long-term outcomes in adolescents, and delivering treatment via the Internet or telephone is a novel way of doing so. Treatment that combines lifestyle modification with the medication orlistat generally appears to be safe but only marginally superior to lifestyle modification alone. More research is needed on the management of adolescent obesity, which has been overlooked when compared with research on the treatment of obesity in children and adults.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/789280
spellingShingle Meghan L. Butryn
Thomas A. Wadden
Margaret R. Rukstalis
Chanelle Bishop-Gilyard
Melissa S. Xanthopoulos
Delroy Louden
Robert I. Berkowitz
Maintenance of Weight Loss in Adolescents: Current Status and Future Directions
Journal of Obesity
title Maintenance of Weight Loss in Adolescents: Current Status and Future Directions
title_full Maintenance of Weight Loss in Adolescents: Current Status and Future Directions
title_fullStr Maintenance of Weight Loss in Adolescents: Current Status and Future Directions
title_full_unstemmed Maintenance of Weight Loss in Adolescents: Current Status and Future Directions
title_short Maintenance of Weight Loss in Adolescents: Current Status and Future Directions
title_sort maintenance of weight loss in adolescents current status and future directions
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2010/789280
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