Case Study of a Body Fat Rate Reduction Program for Mentally Retarded Children in Japan

The purposes of this present study were (1) to modify the program of Anthony F. Rotatori's group into a program that is adjusted for Japanese children with mental retardation, and (2) to confirm the effectiveness of the modified weight-loss program. 4 samples in the experimental group and 3 samples in the control groups selected for this study were all above 160 of Rohrer index and 20% of fat degree. The first phase of the experiment was from June 18 to October 12, 1997 and the second phase was from October 13 to December 7 , 1997. Samples were intervened in the experimental group only in the second phase. Results showed a clear effectiveness with regard to body fat rates, rather than to weight itself, because the body fat rates of samples in the experimental group dropped sharply only in the second phase. This study concludes that our program based on the program of Rotatori's group is estimated to be effective in a short time for controlling the obesity of mentally retarded children