We experience that children after five times with a dietician are quite tired of hearing about the plate model and water as a meal drink, says Lovisa Sjögren, a pediatrician with a doctoral degree, who was one of the driving forces behind the study.
Physical activity on prescription (far) has been established for a long time. Now she wants to advocate for "mor" – food prescribed on prescription.
The causes of overweight and obesity in children are many, and therefore, many different treatment methods are also needed. Subsidized food baskets with healthy recipes can be one, she is convinced of.
For me, the most important thing is that it's a new method, to bring nutrition treatment to the home. That's what's big and that it was well tolerated by the families.
Positive health effects
The study included a total of 89 children aged 5-15 years. They were randomly assigned to either conventional counseling on lifestyle habits or counseling plus subsidized food baskets with recipes.
What Lovisa Sjögren takes note of is that a larger proportion in the food basket group reduced their BMI so much that it can have positive health effects more than in the other group, which only received counseling.
But one year later, the difference between the two groups was erased. If the method is to be used broadly, a three-month period with food baskets is not enough, she concludes.
It's the same with all different treatments except for weight surgery that when the intervention is over, you gain weight again, says Lovisa Sjögren.
"A bright future ahead"
The National Board of Health and Welfare estimates that nearly 80,000 children in preschool and school age have obesity.
I don't think all 80,000 Swedish children should have food baskets, nor that all 80,000 should be operated on or have medication. We must dare to individualize, says Lovisa Sjögren.
Fundamentally, she is optimistic, as knowledge about the causes of overweight and obesity in children is growing rapidly. This provides better conditions for individualized treatment, which is introduced early.
I believe we are facing a bright future for children who have difficulty with hunger-satiety regulation.
The study included 89 children aged 5-15 years who were registered at one of the obesity clinics in northern Halland.
They were randomly assigned to either conventional counseling on lifestyle habits (35 children) or such counseling plus subsidized food baskets with recipes (54 children).
The food baskets contained ingredients for five family meals per week and accompanying healthy recipes. They were picked up weekly during a three-month test period.
The price could be subsidized thanks to sponsors.
In the food basket group, the children's BMI decreased so much in three months that it can have positive health effects (at least minus 0.25) in 20 percent of the children.
In the other group, which only received counseling, BMI decreased at least as much in 5 percent of the children.
Source: University of Gothenburg
