Parallel Improvement of Both Mental and Cardiometabolic Health in Children and Adolescents with Overweight and Obesity, Following the Implementation of a Multidisciplinary Lifestyle Intervention Program

Q: What is the main aim of the study?

To evaluate the impact of a multidisciplinary, personalized lifestyle intervention program on psychosocial and behavioral symptoms in children and adolescents with overweight and obesity, and to examine relationships with cardiometabolic parameters.

Q: How were psychosocial and behavioral outcomes assessed?

Psychosocial and behavioral symptoms were assessed using standardized psychometric questionnaires, specifically the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Youth Self-Report (YSR), at the beginning and end of the study.

Q: What changes were observed after the one-year intervention?

Significant improvements occurred in BMI, anthropometric and cardiometabolic parameters, along with reductions in internalizing, externalizing, and total problem scores across CBCL and YSR domains.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by WPS_1790064749

Overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence pose major public health risks and are linked to psychosocial maladaptation, including low self-esteem, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and behavioral problems that may persist into later life. This prospective cohort study evaluated how a multidisciplinary, personalized lifestyle intervention affects psychosocial and behavioral symptoms and how these changes relate to cardiometabolic parameters in 537 participants aged 6–18. Using standardized CBCL and YSR questionnaires alongside anthropometric, cardiometabolic, and endocrinologic measures, regression analyses identified metabolic and endocrine markers as significant predictors of psychometric change. Results showed improvements in BMI, cardiometabolic outcomes, and reduced internalizing, externalizing, and total problem scores, with psychosocial gains partly independent of BMI reduction.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages29

Reading Time1 h 13 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

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Conclusions

Introduction

Article Parallel Improvement of Both Mental and Cardiometabolic Health in Children and Adolescents with Overweight and Obesity, Following the Implementation of a Multidisciplinary Lifestyle Intervention Program Aikaterini Vourdoumpa 1, George Paltoglou 2, Maria Manou 1, Diamanto Koutaki 1, Penio Kassari 1,3, Marina Papadopoulou 1, Gerasimos Kolaitis 4 and Evangelia Charmandari 1,3, * Academic Editor: Yongting Luo Received: 20 November 2025 Revised: 22 December 2025 Accepted: 25 December 2025 Published: 1 January 2026 Copyright: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. 1 Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, First Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School,‘Aghia Sophia’ Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; [katvourdouba@gmail.com](katvourdouba@gmail.com) (A.V.); [mariamanou93@hotmail.com](mariamanou93@hotmail.com) (M.M.); [mk_madw@hotmail.com](mk_madw@hotmail.com) (D.K.); [peniokassari@gmail.com](peniokassari@gmail.com) (P.K.); [marinageorpap@gmail.com](marinageorpap@gmail.com) (M.P.) 2 Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Second Department of Pediatrics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens,“P. & A. Kyriakou” Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; [gpaltoglou@gmail.com](gpaltoglou@gmail.com) 3 Center of Clinical, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece 4 Department of Child Psychiatry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School,‘Aghia Sophia’ Children’s Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece; [gkolaitis@med.uoa.gr](gkolaitis@med.uoa.gr) * Correspondence: [evangelia.charmandari@googlemail.com](evangelia.charmandari@googlemail.com); Tel.: +30-213-2013384 Abstract Background: Overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence represent one of the most significant public health challenges of our century. Affected children and adolescents often face psychosocial maladaptation, including low self-esteem, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and behavioral problems, many of which may persist till later in life. The aim of our study was to evaluate the impact of a multidisciplinary, personalized lifestyle intervention program on psychosocial and behavioral symptoms, assessed through standardized psychometric questionnaires, and to investigate their relation with cardiometabolic parameters in children and adolescents with overweight and obesity. Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 537 children and adolescents (6–18 years; females: 52.9%; pubertal: 43.6%) with obesity (n = 44.3%), overweight (n = 33.7%), or normal BMI (n = 22%) participated in a personalized lifestyle intervention program for one year. Clinical and laboratory evaluations, including anthropometric, cardiometabolic, and endocrinologic parameters, as well as psychosocial functioning assessed by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Youth Self-Report (YSR), were performed at the beginning and the end of the study. Linear regression analyses identified predictors of psychometric change. Results: At initial evaluation, children and adolescents with obesity displayed a less favorable cardiometabolic profile and greater emotional/conduct difficulties compared to their overweight and normal-BMI counterparts. Following the intervention, significant improvements were observed in BMI, anthropometric and cardiometabolic parameters, as well as reductions in internalizing, externalizing, and total problem scores across multiple CBCL and YSR domains (p < 0.05) . The improvements in psychosocial functioning were partly independent of BMI reduction. Linear regression analyses identified cardiometabolic and endocrine markers as significant predictors of psychometric change (p < 0.05), highlighting interactions betw

FAQs

What is the main aim of the study?

To evaluate the impact of a multidisciplinary, personalized lifestyle intervention program on psychosocial and behavioral symptoms in children and adolescents with overweight and obesity, and to examine relationships with cardiometabolic parameters.

How were psychosocial and behavioral outcomes assessed?

Psychosocial and behavioral symptoms were assessed using standardized psychometric questionnaires, specifically the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Youth Self-Report (YSR), at the beginning and end of the study.

What changes were observed after the one-year intervention?

Significant improvements occurred in BMI, anthropometric and cardiometabolic parameters, along with reductions in internalizing, externalizing, and total problem scores across CBCL and YSR domains.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by WPS_1790064749