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Book Offers Novel Approach to Weight Loss
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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 The researchers then compared the body mass indexes of girls in the three groups up to six months later. On average, the girls who read Lake Rescue gained better control of their weight, moving from the 98th to the 97th percentile in a range of weights, Russell said.
"The book helped," she said. "It either helped them stay at the same weight while they were growing or even helped them lose their weight."
While the difference in percentiles was statistically significant, it's hard to know if it meant much to the girls from a health perspective, Russell said. "These girls need to be followed up to see if there's a difference over a long term, compared to just one to three months," she said.
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Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University School of Medicine Prevention Research Center, said embedding weight-management messages in a book is a "very promising idea," but more research is needed.
"Could a cottage industry sprout up in publishing for novels that are ostensibly about some diverting plot, but really about eating well, being active, or losing weight?" he asked. "It's too soon to tell. We don't know how strongly, consistently, or enduringly such books might contribute to weight loss and control, or other health benefits."
More information
Learn more about childhood obesity from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Copyright © 2008 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Last updated 10/4/2008
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SOURCES: Alexandra C. Russell, medical student, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C.; David Katz, M.D., M.P.H., director, Prevention Research Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.; Oct. 4, 2008, presentation, Obesity Society annual meeting, Phoenix
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