Sorry, can’t figure out the italics! I might have read it wrong, but the studies didn’t say the non-reading group gained weight, but BMI. BMI does not measure height and weight proportionally, which might be a factor.

Additionally, my figures were taken from charts showing children’s average weight/heights. The 144cm, 36kg child I mentioned has a BMI of 17.4, and was slap bang in the middle of the 11-year-old line of the chart. I don’t think BMI works AT ALL for children.

I think sample size is the main hang-up for me, as well. I mean, considering the small size, it only takes one group to have one child that develops “unusually” to throw out the results by possibly more than the whopping 0.71% BMI change measured. I recall growing from a no-cup to almost a C cup during my first year of puberty, so if I’d been one of the kids in that study I would have almost certainly thrown the whole thing off.

Um, does it? As far as I know, it just says that p <0.05 considering the variance of weights and the sample size.
It doesn’t say anything about how (or if) the groups were randomized, or if the results were corrected for certain factors.

Yeah, but that’s besides the point. Even if it was the most methodically sound study in the history of research… what’s the point? I’ve read so many studies lately about new ways to make people lose 2 pounds over the course of 6 months. Is there seriously money being spent on this ‘research’? I lose and gain two pounds once a month! I could probably lose four pounds by a cheap, easy to administer food poisoning! Let’s go publish!

But what’s to be gained, what’s the benefit?? I’m working in obesity related research right now and the way obesity research works hurts my head!!

Usually medical studies go “ok this is the problem, this is the med we gave them, people on that med lived 3 days longer and were 2% happier on the so-and-so-happiness-evaluation scale, compare to people on placebo.”
Obesity studies just go “Ok we know obesity is BAD right? Just think of the children! And on Diet A people lost 1.14 pounds more than on Diet B. Yay!”

So, were the girls who read the book… healthier? Will they live longer? Were they happier? Better in school? How did it influence their self-esteem and self-image? Their quality of life?

“What if I don’t eat anything at all?” asks Ned.

“Then you will lose weight very quickly,” says the doctor.

W. T. F.

Its only saving grace is that it doesn’t have a female protagonist. Because then I would have to stab things.

Because, this really freaks me out: it’s “…a multidisciplinary referral clinic for the management of childhood obesity in children and teenagers ages 0-22″.

0. Zero. As in a fucking infant? The site says that if you are less than 2 and above the 95th percentile, you qualify to participate. yippee.

I don’t know how to do that embedding thingy, but here is the website.

http://pediatrics.duke.edu/modules/ctr_ped_cendo_svc/index.php?id=1

should read

…..I should not diet until I was done with my growth spurt. That’ll teach me to not proofread.

Really?!?!?!?!? GROWING GIRLS GAIN WEIGHT?!?!?!?! OMG what a revelation! Even underweight girls gain weight when they’re, you know, STARTING PUBERTY. *TRIPLE HEADDESK*

And seriously, 9-13 year old girls should NOT be dieting. I remember being told at that age that I should diet until I was done with my growth spurt, because I could stunt my growth. It seems like most girls that age are either super-skinny or at least a little chubby; could it because because *gasp* their bodies are changing? And dude, my BMI changes 0.71% over the course of a month because I retain water more at certain times during my cycle. To consider this a change for girls going through puberty over 6 months is ABSURD.

How about we just encourage kids to read because it’s good for their minds, and encourage them to a diverse diet and move their bodies because it’s good for their bodies, NOT because either activity will help them lose weight. This obsession is sad, sad, sad.

(At any age really, but especially then.)

I know we’re all just speculating here, but good god, I hope they DON’T have a group of 9-13 year-olds reading no books for six months, control group or no!