Project Fun: Parents And Youth Together
Condition: Childhood Obesity
MeSH terms: Pediatric Obesity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The proposed study is a continuation of a randomized, controlled pilot effectiveness trial
      conducted in schools wherein the feasibility and completion of the trial by parents and
      children will now additionally be examined in after school and YMCA connected programs.

      The intervention for this study is Project FUN and Project FUN with Parents. Project FUN is
      an 8 module online program for children in 4th through 8th grade. Project FUN with Parents is
      a 6 module online program for their parent.

      Children and parents will be recruited through the afterschool and YMCA connected programs.
      Those agreeing to participate will be randomly assigned to a first intervention or second
      intervention session (waiting list control group). Surveys and measures will be collected for
      everyone pre-intervention, after the first session completion and after the second session
      completion to create a waiting list control group.

      Hypothesis 1: Body composition and dietary fat of children who complete Project FUN and have
      a parent complete Project FUN with Parents will be lower on completion than children who only
      complete instruments.

      Hypothesis 2: Fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity and fitness of children who
      complete Project FUN and have a parent complete Project FUN with Parents will be greater on
      completion than children who only complete instruments.
    

Detailed description: 
      Addressing the epidemic of obesity is a national priority. Currently almost a third of
      children and two thirds of adults are overweight or obese. Obesity-related chronic health
      problems originating in childhood are often life-long. Overweight and obesity result from
      detrimental patterns of dietary intake and physical activity. These obesity-producing
      lifestyles are established in childhood and are often carried into adulthood, when they
      become more refractory to change. Research has demonstrated that programs involving parents
      and children in a family context have been the most effective in preventing and treating
      childhood obesity.

      Research Question 1: How many parents and children agree to participate, complete data
      collection and complete at least 80% of the intervention? Research Question 2: What reasons
      are given by those not completing the protocol and what suggestions are offered by those who
      do complete the protocol? Research Question 3: What is the relationship of parent or child
      perceptions of authoritative parenting, child perceptions of family models and support for
      healthy eating, physical activity, or reduced sedentary time, and of parenting stress,
      self-efficacy, confidence, and eating behavior on child BMI? Research Question 4: Do parent
      or child perceptions of authoritative parenting, diet, physical activity, fitness or body
      composition; child perceptions of family models and support for healthy eating, physical
      activity, or reduced sedentary time; or parent perceptions of parenting stress,
      self-efficacy, confidence, and eating behavior change across the study time period? Research
      Question 5: Are there relationships between study completion and child or parent BMI, child
      or parent gender, parenting stress, self-efficacy, confidence, and eating behavior?
    

Intervention name(s): Online intervention; Completion of instruments only
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Other
Intervention description(s): Child online intervention is 8 modules based on the Health Promotion/Transtheoretical Model Parent online intervention is 6 modules based on enhancing authoritative parenting,support and role models for improved nutrition, physical activity and health child body mass percentile; Parent and child subejects in the waiting list control only complete surveys, body composition and fitness tests
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Body Mass Percentile; Authoritative parenting; Online interventions; Prevention