The SIM-PLICITY Study: The SIMulation Project - LIstening & Intervention in Pediatric obeSITY
Condition: Childhood Obesity
MeSH terms: Obesity; Pediatric Obesity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study is looking at the feasibility and efficacy of using SIMmersion's PeopleSim
      technology to train providers through role playing simulations to effectively conduct
      discussions with parents to provide intervention for, and reduce the likelihood of
      progression to childhood obesity.
    

Detailed description: 
      The prevalence of childhood obesity has tripled within the last twenty-five years (Skelton et
      al., 2009). Interventions targeting children are a high priority because children bear the
      greatest lifetime health risk from overweight and obesity (Ogden et al., 2007; Franks et al.,
      2010). Health professionals in primary care settings have the potential to reach large
      numbers of parents and children and address obesity because they have regular interactions
      with and are influential in the lives of families. Studies show that even brief advice
      delivered well can have a meaningful impact. To support providers in this important role, the
      Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collaborated with other health organizations to
      develop recommendations for assessment, prevention, and treatment of childhood and adolescent
      overweight and obesity. Despite the 2007 publication of these recommendations and increasing
      recognition of childhood obesity as a public health problem, rates of provision of
      obesity-related guidance and counseling remain low (Tanda & Salsberry, 2013), and research
      indicates that health care providers could use additional education, training, and support
      related to obesity prevention and treatment. Thus, effective strategies to support pediatric
      primary care providers in their efforts to intervene against address childhood obesity are
      needed. Building off the successes achieved in their Phase I study, SIMmersion LLC, in
      collaboration with Dr. Nancy Sherwood from HealthPartners Institute , Dr. Jayne Fulkerson
      from the University of Minnesota, and Dr. Michael Fleming from Northwestern University, will
      expand the Phase I simulation prototype, utilizing feedback provided by a team of independent
      experts. The innovative computer-based training system with interactive role-play simulations
      will provide health care providers with much needed experiential opportunities to develop
      skills in conducting discussions with parents and children about obesity. The product's
      efficacy will be evaluated in a randomized controlled trial (RCT); 100 pediatric, family
      practice, and nursing clinicians and trainees at various levels of experience will be
      recruited to participate. Half of the participants will be randomly assigned to the
      intervention group during which they will use the newly developed simulation product to
      develop their skills and half of participants will be randomly assigned to the wait-list
      control group; the primary outcome is performance in a role play with trained actors at 2
      month follow-up.
    

Intervention name(s): Educational Intervention; Wait List Control
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The educational intervention will be the online simulation training program. Participants will be taught how to use the simulation during a 30 minute orientation session with a research staff person. We will use a mastery based approach rather than prescribing an absolute number of hours participants need to play. The criteria are as follows: 1) achieving a score of 90% or more on 2 out of the last 3 simulations played or 2) maximum of 8 hours of play, whichever comes first. After the orientation sessions, training sessions will be completed by participants on their own. The research team will confirm remote usage, and contact participants by email and phone to prompt usage as needed. The research team anticipates that the proposed method will accommodate for participant schedules while still ensuring intervention compliance.; Access to the online simulation training after the follow-up measurement visit is complete
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Pediatrics