Parent Perceptions of Weight Status: Impact of a Pilot Intervention

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This pilot study is a randomized controlled trial with an embedded cross sectional study exploring parental perceptions of their weight status and how it affects their perceptions of their child's weight status. This study uses an educational intervention in which parents are informed of their actual weight status and how it affects their child's health. We will study the effect of this intervention on the parent's perceptions of and level of concern for their own and their child's weight status.

Detailed Description
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Pediatric obesity has tripled in the past 20 years. Obesity prevention early in life is important and parental participation is essential. Parents must recognize overweight in their child so health providers may engage them in a dialogue to change their child's diet and physical activity patterns, yet a large proportion of parents do not recognize that their child is overweight. Parents' misperception of their overweight child's weight status presents a barrier to treating obesity. This pilot study is a randomized controlled trial with an embedded cross sectional study exploring parental perceptions of their weight status and how it affects their perceptions of their child's weight status. This study uses an educational intervention in which parents are informed of their actual weight status and how it affects their child's health. We will study the effect of this intervention on the parent's perceptions of and level of concern for their own and their child's weight status. Our goal is to develop a primary care intervention that will enhance parental perceptions of overweight and motivation to make changes for their family. Pilot data collected here will support an R21 Exploratory/Developmental Clinical Research Grant in Obesity or a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJ) grant submission.

Official Title
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Parent Perceptions of Weight Status: Impact of a Pilot Intervention to Enhance Awareness of Risk for Overweight Parents and Their Children

Conditions
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Obesity

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Education Intervention


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: 1. Boys and girls ages 3 to 13 years old presenting with at least one biological parent for a routine health maintenance exam (WCC) at the Child Health Continuity Clinic will be eligible. Parents must be able and willing to have their height and weight measured at the clinic Exclusion Criteria: Child has previously been referred to a nutritionist/dietician or specialized clinic/program for weight management Child is currently being treated for failure to thrive Child is on parenteral nutrition Child is on chronic systemic steroid therapy Child is non-mobile/wheelchair bound The family has previously enrolled into the study with a prior sibling Family is unable to be contacted at home Presenting parent cannot speak and read English or Spanish at at least a 5th grade level

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 3 Years
Maximum Age: 13 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Education Intervention<br>The intervention used in the randomized controlled trial consists of 1) measuring the parents' height and weight and 2) providing the parents with feedback on their calculated BMI on an educational handout (included in Appendix V). The purpose of the handout is to convey the following 5 messages: Definition of BMI How BMI is calculated What the parent's BMI is based on the measurements taken What weight category the parent is in (underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese) Children with overweight or obese parents are at higher risk of becoming overweight themselves. The Research Assistant will verbally review the educational handout with the parent. The handout will be available in both English and Spanish. | Behavioral: Education Intervention<br>* The intervention is a short educational handout regarding BMI and the effect of parental weight status on children.<br>|
| No Intervention: Control Group<br>Parents assigned to the control group will proceed to their child's well child visit after their baseline data are collected. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Proportion of parents correctly assessing their own weight status |  | At first visit | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Proportion of parents correctly assessing their child's weight status |  | At first visit | 
| Proportion of parents who underestimate own weight status who also underestimate their child's weight status |  | At first visit | 
| Change in proportion of parents underestimating their own weight status |  | At first visit and at one week follow up phone survey | 
| Change in proportion of parents underestimating their child's weight status |  | At first visit and at one week follow up phone survey | 
| Change in level of concern pre- and post-intervention |  | At first visit and at one week follow up phone survey | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Obesity, Weight perceptions