Obesity Abstracts

Background: BeeZee Bodies specialises in adult and child weight management and behaviour change and has been running in counties across the United Kingdom for almost ten years. The BeeZee Families Programme is an award winning healthy lifestyles programme designed for children who are identified as overweight/obese and their families. The Families programme incorporates behavioural economics, sociological factors and implementing our ‘Habit before the habit’ methodology to elicit real-life change, beyond the obvious factors influencing weight.

Methods: This study aimed to explore the demographic factors which affect the completion and BMI decrease in children on the BeeZee Families programme. Demographic and anthropometric data were analysed for 992 children aged 5–15 recruited between 2016 and 2019 from across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Factors assessed include: gender, age, marital status, disability status, and quintile of deprivation (QOD), BMI, and waist circumference. Demographic variables were compared with BMI and, for completers, change in BMI during the programme. Data were analysed using SPSS Version 25.

Results: Of those who commenced theBeeZee Families programme, 78.1% completed, with 76.5% of completers decreasing or maintaining their BMI. On average, completers had a lower initial BMI than those who left the programme early (P=0.009). Of those who completed, the fall in BMI was larger for males than for females (P=0.019). These are preliminary results and more demographic factors will be further analysed, these demographic factors include the impact of deprivation, martial status, disability status and their relationship to programme completion and impact on BMI. This study is currently being conducted through a NIHR CLAHRC 2019 East of England fellowship.

Conclusions: Priority should be given to ensuring that children with high BMI complete the programme, and that girls who complete obtain greater benefit in terms of BMI reduction. More conclusions will be determined as further results are obtained.

Keywords: Adolescent, child, obesity, weight management, behaviour change

Disclosures: No conflict of interest or disclosure.