Reinforced Enhanced - Families Responsibility Education Support and Health
Condition: Pediatric Obesity
MeSH terms: Obesity; Pediatric Obesity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of this application is to evaluate whether a pediatric weight control program
      that incorporates comprehensive parenting training with behavioral therapy can increase
      weight loss in children compared to traditional family-based behavioral therapy programs.
      Since certain parenting styles are associated with greater weight loss during interventions
      and appear to enhance the impact of key behavioral strategies, adding parenting training to
      these interventions may increase the overall effectiveness of these programs and increase our
      ability to help children obtain a healthy weight. This project could result in identifying an
      improved method of pediatric obesity treatment that provides additional benefits to the
      growth and development of children via improved self-regulatory behaviors.
    

Detailed description: 
      Authoritative parenting style has been associated with decreased obesity risk in children,
      increased weight loss during interventions, and can modify the delivery and impact of weight
      control strategies, making them more effective. At this time, gold-standard treatment for
      childhood obesity is family-based behavioral therapy (FBT). This treatment relies on
      behavioral strategies and the use of praise and a positive reinforcement system to change
      eating and activity behaviors, but does not target other aspects of parenting. Broadening
      parenting instruction to include effective limit-setting behaviors, parent-child
      communication, and authoritative parenting may increase parents' confidence and ability to
      successfully make behavior changes and modify the impact of the behavioral strategies being
      used. In this application, the investigators propose to test the efficacy of a 20-week weight
      control program that combines traditional family-based behavioral therapy with comprehensive
      parenting training (FBT-PT) and compare it to traditional family-based behavioral therapy
      (FBT). The investigators hypothesize that there will be an additive effect of parenting
      training such that FBT-PT will have a greater effect on child weight loss (measured by BMI
      z-score) than traditional FBT. In addition, the investigators will measure parenting style,
      parenting strategies, behavioral strategies, and child factors (like impulsive behavior and
      temperament) to better understand the mediators and moderators of weight loss. These measures
      will be obtained by standard self-report measures and videotape encounters, allowing one to
      more objectively measure parenting dimensions. Clinical outcomes, like drop-out and
      acceptability, will also be assessed from the two treatment arms. The purpose of this study
      is to evaluate the effect of adding a comprehensive parenting training to traditional FBT. If
      successful, this program will be able to increase our ability to help children successfully
      lose weight.
    

Intervention name(s): Family-based behavioral therapy; Parenting training
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Traditional family-based, group-based behavioral therapy for weight loss. Parent and child groups will be held separately. Intervention will consist of 20 sessions: 16 weekly sessions, and then every other week for 4 sessions.; Parenting skills training for parents. Parent and child groups will be held separately and only parents will receive this training. Children will not receive any additional materials. Intervention will consist of 20 sessions: 16 weekly sessions, and then every other week for 4 sessions.
Other intervention name(s): FBT; FRESH; Re-FRESH; FBT + PT
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Obesity treatment; Parenting training; Parenting style; Family-based behavioral therapy