UnitedHealth Group Whole Family Program to fight childhood obesity

UnitedHealth Group's whole-family program to fight childhood obesity has the potential to become a national model, according to a new study.

Anyone who has struggled to lose weight and keep it off will know how important support is at this time. It is also beneficial for many other reasons - not least if you lose weight (and as little as 5% can make a massive difference) you reduce the risks associated with many health problems and diseases including diabetes.

The program engaged overweight and obese kids ages six to 17, along with their parents, in a series of learning sessions to achieve healthier weights through healthier family nutrition choices, increased activity, and lifestyle improvement tracking.

"Children who are overweight and obese are motivated to lose weight, but they can't do it alone. They must have the support and full involvement of their families to support healthy eating choices and healthy family lifestyles that include exercise," said Deneen Vojta, M.D., senior vice president, UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform & Modernization and the study's principal investigator. "JOIN for ME is a fun and practical solution that can easily be made available to the millions of families who struggle with childhood obesity. We look forward to supporting the launch of this model in communities around the nation."

Read more about the study

After six months, 84 percent of the original 155 participants in the JOIN for ME pilot completed the full program and achieved, on average, a 3.5 percent reduction in excess weight. But not only did the children lose weight, but parents who were completely engaged in helping their children lose weight, also lost weight.