Moreover, the International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF) developed in Sydney has set principles to protect children from the commercial promotion of foods and beverages [1]. Ultimately, the management of obesity shares the same basic principles as adults since the primary goal is weight reduction and the maintenance of normal sellckchem weight [6]. The treatment options for overweight and obese children have two important considerations, namely, pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment [5]. Pharmacological treatment options range from drugs to surgical intervention. These options support clinicians in the management of obesity and many studies support the clinical management [18]: this is not considered in this review.

Although the non-pharmacological management strategies for overweight adults are different from those of children, they share the common principle of increasing physical activity and/or decreasing the intake of high-energy foods and modifying the common shared environment [5,19]. In one of the review by Luttikhuis et al., the investigator identified 64 trials, of which 54 were non-pharmacological lifestyle interventions. Most of the trials had a small sample size and a short-term follow up. In spite of these limitations, the reviewer concluded that family-based intervention with a behaviour program to change the diet, lifestyle, physical activity and thinking patterns proved effective in the treatment of overweight and obesity [5]. The intervention has two important frameworks, family-based intervention and school-based intervention.

Many studies demonstrate the importance of quality and quantity of food intake and claim that parents influence the level of activity patterns in schoolchildren [20]. More coordinated assessment of children and their families is needed to establish whether developmental, environmental and psychological factors, which could lead to inactivity and poor eating habits, have on effect on weight gain [21]. Moreover, parents or carers have important and long lasting effects on a child��s eating and physical activity patterns throughout their life [22], and act as a primary mediator for behaviour change [23]. A five- and ten-year study on family behavioural treatment reported that predictors for behavioural change among both children and their parents include self-monitoring and praising the children to influence a change in their behaviour [24].

This study is augmented by the study of Golan and Crow [25] which reported the advantages of using a conventional approach using parents as an exclusive agent. The same study found long-term positive results with 60% of children in the treatment group and 30% in the control group non-obese at the end of the study. One of the critiques about the family-based-intervention is that the amount and kind of interaction between the child and its parents�� behaviour outside the experiment setting is one of the main Dacomitinib problems considered.