Sarah Armstrong, MD, director of Duke's Healthy Lifestyles Program says there is a link between reading and losing weight. The Duke University research, the first of its kind revealed that books on healthy lifestyle and weight management can actually help fight obesity in children.

In the study led by Alexandra C. Russell, MD, a fourth-year medical student at Duke University School of Medicine, 31 obese girls between 9 to 13 years who had already signed up in the Healthy Lifestyles Program at Duke Children's Hospital, a comprehensive weight loss plan, were asked to read a book called Lake Rescue. The book’s main character is an overweight girl who is unhappy because of her size. Part of the Beacon Street Girls series, Lake Rescue becomes an outdoor challenge for an overweight seventh grader and it sends a positive message regarding healthy lifestyle and weight management issues.

The second group recruited 33 girls who were asked to read Charlotte in Paris, a novel for preteens whose protagonist isn’t overweight, while the third group consisting of 17 girls read neither book. After a period of six months the researchers found that the group who read Lake Rescue had significantly lowered their body mass index (BMI) by 71 % as compared to girls of the other groups.  Russell said it seems "the book helped. It either helped them [the girls] stay at the same weight while they were growing or even helped them lose their weight."

Even though the BMI reduction was small, Dr. Armstrong says, "If their BMI percentile goes down, it means they are they are either losing weight or getting tall and not gaining weight. Both are seen as positive indicators in kids who are trying to lose weight.” She says that for losing weight, literature is “a welcome addition to a world where there aren't a lot of alternatives."

Current recommendations and guidelines suggest that as obese children are at a higher risk of developing heart disease they should be placed on cholesterol lowering medications early in life. These medications are not without side effects and that leaves parents with the choice of ignoring their obesity and leaving them to face life with a poor self image and possible health problems as well.

"As a pediatrician, I can't count the number of times I tell parents to buy a book that might provide useful advice, yet I've never been able to point to research to back up my recommendations,” says Dr. Armstrong adding that most weight loss programs for kids have not been successful and childhood obesity has tripled since 1980. Federal statistics show that 16 % of U.S. children are either overweight or obese.

Doctors say if your child is putting on weight you should try to take some positive steps to remedy the situation. Try to keep your child occupied in activities that encourage weight loss. Try to see if the food pattern in the house is wrong and change it if it is by avoiding buying high calorie foods. Try to rule out any psychological factors in the child that might encourage overeating such as boredom or stress and reduce them.