Fitness gyms for children increased by 30 percent according to a 2004 report by the International Health and Racquet Sports Association. Some offer weight loss programs for kids. Weight loss programming for children, says National Institute on Health, should assist the entire family to improve eating and activity habits and have health care professionals on staff. Programming should be age-appropriate and provide on-going support after completion.
Nutrition, Motivation, Acheivement
Fitwize4Kids are "lifestyle centers" focusing on kids 6 1/2 to 15 years of age. The weight loss program involves one-to-one supervised instruction during fitness activities as well as offering a nutrition program taught by a registered dietitian. Weight loss progress is tracked by the Fitwize 4 Kids Go for the Gold Motivation & Achievement System, "a unique 12 month journey that allows members and their parents to track individual progress, while keeping kids engaged in their fitness program."
Exergaming and Family Involvement
MedPlay Technologies offers a seven-week program to treat pediatric obesity and meets the requirements to accept referrals from healthcare professionals. Consisting of classroom instruction in proper eating habits and living a healthy lifestyle, MedPlay differentiates its programming by offering exergames--video games which incorporate physical activity. Families are encouraged to play along with their children and participate in classroom lectures and physical assessments.
Diet and Self-Esteem
Marketing its program to fitness clubs, schools and individuals, Slimkids has been "helping children and teens lose weight since 1995." The program, besides outlining healthy foods and meals plans, discusses the challenges a child or teen faces to her self-esteem by being overweight. "The program provides a wide variety of foods to meet the nutritional requirements needed to fuel growth and development. The program includes foods from the basic food groups and closely follows the U.S. dietary guidelines for Americans set out by the USDA. The daily average caloric intake of the program is 1,500 to 1,800 calories, which includes 64g of fat." Laura Kraemer, developer of the program, is a registered nurse with a background in nutrition, child development and health education.
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