Study Design

This study used baseline data from a multisite randomized controlled trial conducted in St. Louis, MO, and Seattle, WA²⁵, which investigated the efficacy of continued weight-control interventions following a 16-session family-based behavioral weight-loss treatment (FBT). Briefly, FBT is an evidence-based treatment for children with OW/OB, which promotes increased physical activity, encourages greater consumption of nutritious, low-energy-dense foods, and teaches behavioral strategies and parenting skills conducive to better child weight-management²⁵. Child psychopathology and its potential correlates (identified based on empirical and theoretical associations with depression and anxiety) were assessed at baseline (i.e., prior to beginning FBT) via questionnaires and semi-structured interviews that were administered by trained staff.