Study: NCT00415974

Intervention type: BEHAVIORAL
Group type: OTHER
Intervention: Physician Counseling
Description: Physician-patient visits will occur in the primary care setting and are scheduled at study onset (beginning of step 1) and at the end of the first year. An extra physician visit will occur for patients who do not progress from step 1 after two attempts. At study entry, physicians will discuss the purpose and importance of the intervention and encourage participation. Physicians will underline the value of attending all study visits and complying with study protocol and instructions. Subsequent physician visits will focus on weight loss progress and overcoming barriers.

Intervention type: BEHAVIORAL
Group type: EXPERIMENTAL
Intervention: Physician Counseling
Description: Physician-patient visits will occur in the primary care setting and are scheduled at study onset (beginning of step 1) and at the end of the first year. An extra physician visit will occur for patients who do not progress from step 1 after two attempts. At study entry, physicians will discuss the purpose and importance of the intervention and encourage participation. Physicians will underline the value of attending all study visits and complying with study protocol and instructions. Subsequent physician visits will focus on weight loss progress and overcoming barriers.

Intervention type: BEHAVIORAL
Group type: OTHER
Intervention: Health Educator
Description: Health education sessions are held with teens and parents at the primary care setting. These include information on nutrition, physical activity, and weight loss. Behavioral approaches are used to enhance the home environment, food preparation, and planned physical activity to elicit weight loss, including discovery of perceived and actual barriers to modification of eating and physical activity behaviors. The Health Educator focuses on problem-solving and tailored selection of behavior change skills to help participants overcome difficulties. In addition to reviewing the assessment and generating solutions to barriers, sample meal plans (including strategies for restricting calories) and pedometers will be distributed at the initial health educator visit. Pedometers are encouraged to monitor progress with physical activity goals. An initial binder is distributed to teen and parent participants at the initial session and subsequent materials are added with each visit.

Intervention type: BEHAVIORAL
Group type: EXPERIMENTAL
Intervention: Health Educator
Description: Health education sessions are held with teens and parents at the primary care setting. These include information on nutrition, physical activity, and weight loss. Behavioral approaches are used to enhance the home environment, food preparation, and planned physical activity to elicit weight loss, including discovery of perceived and actual barriers to modification of eating and physical activity behaviors. The Health Educator focuses on problem-solving and tailored selection of behavior change skills to help participants overcome difficulties. In addition to reviewing the assessment and generating solutions to barriers, sample meal plans (including strategies for restricting calories) and pedometers will be distributed at the initial health educator visit. Pedometers are encouraged to monitor progress with physical activity goals. An initial binder is distributed to teen and parent participants at the initial session and subsequent materials are added with each visit.

Intervention type: BEHAVIORAL
Group type: EXPERIMENTAL
Intervention: Phone Counseling
Description: Brief counseling calls will occur between PACE-PC participants and assigned counselors during all steps. In general, these calls occur on a bi-weekly to monthly basis in steps 1 and 2, and monthly in step 3. Such calls are intended to encourage continued goal attainment and progression and to promote healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. Counselors will review progress since the last clinical interaction (e.g., health educator visit, phone call, or physician visit) and help adolescents set new goals that are appropriate and attainable. Data from pedometers may be discussed during these sessions as an interim assessment of progress on physical activity behaviors between formal study measurement visits. After speaking with the adolescent, the counselor will talk with the parent (when feasible) to reinforce parental involvement and emphasize the importance of the healthy changes in the home environment to encourage goal attainment.

Intervention type: BEHAVIORAL
Group type: OTHER
Intervention: Health promotion materials on physical activity and nutrition
Description: PACE-PC adolescents and their families will receive information regarding healthy eating and physical activity behaviors on a weekly basis via mail. These behavioral-based materials will educate participants and their families on healthy behaviors that are necessary for successful weight management. Topics will coincide with the intervention goals and include supplemental information to enhance quality of life and improve body image. Topics will include realistic goal-setting and attainment, how to handle holidays and celebrations, eating fast food, grocery shopping and food preparation, and relapse prevention, etc.. Topics will include specific strategies related to the adolescent's readiness to change to reflect processes that are most appropriate. Content from these materials will be addressed by the phone counselors to ensure that participants received and understood intervention messages.