Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., asked obese females ages 9 to 13 who were already in a comprehensive weight loss program to read an age-appropriate novel entitled "Lake Rescue."

The novel was crafted with the help of pediatric experts to include healthy lifestyle and weight management guidance, as well as positive messages and strong role models, the researchers said.

Six months later, the researchers found the 31 girls who read "Lake Rescue" experienced a significant decrease in their body mass index scores when compared to a control group of 14 girls who hadn't, explained Alexandra C. Russell, a fourth-year medical student at Duke who led the study

"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," Dr. Sarah Armstrong, director of Duke's Healthy Lifestyles Program, said in a statement. "This is the first prospective interventional study that found literature can have a positive impact on healthy lifestyle changes in young girls."

Russell presented the findings at the Obesity Society's annual meeting in Phoenix.