A strong evidence base
Rigorous ongoing scientific research and evaluation underpins all of MEND’s work.
We are proud to have a 20-year research partnership with the UK’s most eminent child health organisations, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust and University College London Institute of Child Health
The MEND Programmeis the first clinically proven community-based UK child weight management programme to operate in a scalable and cost-effective manner. It is supported by very successful research to date, including a feasibility study, pilot and Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) – gold standard clinical research. We also have rollout results quantifying the health and social outcomes of the MEND Programme at over 300 sites in the UK, Denmark and Australia.
Our evidence shows that the MEND Programme helps children lose weight (specifically body fat), increases their physical activity levels and self esteem and reduces their sedentary behaviours e.g. screen time. These results continue to improve over time after the end of the core Programme. Children demonstrate sustained positive health improvements 12 months after starting the MEND Programme. We are now conducting a second, larger RCT at the Institute of Child Health to follow families for longer periods to see how they are faring 2, 5 and 10 years after starting the Programme.
Our work in Denmark and Australia has demonstrated that the Programme is effective in other countries and languages. As we expand internationally, we will be extending our research work with other respected academic partners.
To view the results of our RCT, click here (PDF 1,531 KB).
MEND References
1. Sacher P, Wolman J, Chadwick P, Swain C. Mini-MEND: MEND’s early year’s healthy lifestylprogramme for 2-4 year olds and their families. British Nutrition Foundation. 2008; 33;364-367.
2. Chadwick P, Sacher PM, Swain C. Talking to families about overweight children. British Journal of School Nursing. 2008;3:6; 271-276.
3. Wolman J, Skelly E, Lawson MS, Sacher PM. Tackling toddler obesity through a pilot community-based family intervention. Community Practioner. 2008; 81:1;28-31.
4.Oldham A, Aylott H, Sacher PM. Mending the growing problem of childhood obesity. The British Journal of Primary Care Nursing. 2007; 4:6; 297-299.
5. Sacher PM, Chadwick P, Kolotourou M, Cole TJ, Lawson MS, Singhal A. The MEND Trial: Sustained improvements on health outcomes in obese children at one year. Obesity. 2007; 15:A92.
6. Sacher PM, Swain C. The MEND Programme: tackling childhood obesity. British Journal of School Nursing. 2007; 2.4.
7. Sacher PM, Kolotourou M, Chadwick P, Singhal A, Cole TJ, Lawson MS. The MEND Programme: effects on waist circumference and BMI in moderately obese children. Obesity Reviews. 2007; 8:7-16:12.
8. Sacher PM, Chadwick P, Kolotourou M, Cole TJ, Lawson M, Singhal A. The MEND RCT: effectiveness on health outcomes in obese children. International Journal of Obesity. 2007. 31; S1.
9. Sacher PM, Kolotourou M, Chadwick P, Singhal A, Cole TJ, Lawson M. The MEND Programme: effectiveness on health outcomes in obese children. Obesity Reviews. 2006. 7 (Suppl. 2): 89.
10. Sacher PM, Kolotourou M, Chadwick P, Singhal A, Cole TJ, Lawson M. Is the MEND Programme effective in improving health outcomes in obese children? International Journal of Obesity. 2006. 30; 2:S41.
11. Sacher PM. Childhood obesity: consequences and control measures. Journal of Family Health Care. 2005. 15. 4. Spec. Suppl. 1: 4-5.
12. Sacher PM, Gray C, Lawson M. The MEND Programme is effective in reducing glycaemic load, total energy intake and waist circumference in a small group of obese 7-11 year old children. Obesity Reviews. 2005. 6. Suppl 1. P410:121.
13. Sacher PM, Chadwick P, Wells JCK, Williams J, Cole TJ, Lawson M. Assessing the acceptability and feasibility of the MEND Programme in a small group of obese 7–11 year old children. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 2005. 18: 3-5.
14. Sacher PM et al. An integrated programme of nutrition, exercise and behavioural modification in a small group of obese 7-11 year old children. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 2003; 62:OCA/B,3A.
15. Sacher PM, Chadwick P, Hogan L. The obesity epidemic. The Journal of Family Health Care. 2002; 12, 4: 111
