The study also showed that this approach to obesity management reached sections of society who are most at risk and yet most likely to fall through the cracks in healthcare.
Almost three in 10 of the children in the study came from households in the most deprived neighbourhoods of Taranaki. Māori made up 47 percent of the participants; New Zealand Europeans 43 percent, with the remaining 10 percent from other ethnic groups. The Whānau Pakari programme has received over 650 referrals to date. Many serious weight-related issues, such as obstructive sleep apnoea, were picked up for the first time and addressed.
“These findings are really important,” says Dr Anderson. “If we are going to make a difference to those most affected by obesity, services that families feel comfortable with, and that fit in with their lives, are key.”
The findings follow a series of studies on baseline data that provided snapshots of different aspects of the children’s health and wellbeing when they entered the programme.
“We have, as a research group, been highlighting the challenges tamariki and whānau face with obesity,” says Dr Anderson.
New Zealand has the third highest obesity rate in the OECD (30.7 percent of the population), after the United States and Mexico. About 11 percent of New Zealand children aged two to 14 years have obesity (an estimated 85,000 children), and children living in most deprived neighbourhoods are five times more likely to experience obesity than those from the least deprived areas.
Dr Anderson: “We want to keep improving the intensive model so that it inspires families/whānau from all backgrounds to persist with the programme, given our findings show attendance is key to success.”
The Whānau Pakari programme is a collaboration between the Taranaki District Health Board and Sport Taranaki.