Families sought for weight-loss program

Published August 8, 2013 This content is archived.

Families with at least one overweight parent and child ages 8-12 are being sought for a study being conducted by the Division of Behavioral Medicine in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The Childhood Weight Control Program is designed to boost physical activity and healthy eating for overweight children and parents using the famous Traffic Light Diet, developed by Leonard H. Epstein, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, and director of the UB program. In addition to learning healthy eating behaviors, children and parents learn behavioral changes that encourage them to engage more in healthy behaviors, such as increased physical activity, and less in unhealthy ones.

Families accepted into the free, six-month program must attend weekly meetings for the first 12 weeks, then biweekly and monthly meetings. The program is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

“Our program is not a quick-fix; it’s a proven, family-based, lifestyle intervention,” says Epstein. “We are providing our families with tools for a lifetime of good health. We are teaching them how to change their lifestyles.”

Those interested in receiving more information and applying for the study should call 829-6697 or fill out the screening questionnaire.