Clinical trial NCT01246349: Motivational Interviewing for Weight Loss
Official title: Motivational Interviewing as an Intervention to Increase Adolescent Self-Efficacy and Promote Weight Loss
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Childhood Obesity
Keywords: Motivational Interviewing
Child and Adolescent Self-Efficacy
Health Behaviours
Lead sponsor: The Hospital for Sick Children
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2010-11-23
Enrollment: 40
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 10
Maximum age (years): 18
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The investigators studied the effect of motivational interviewing (MI) on self-efficacy, health behaviors, and health outcomes in overweight children and adolescents (ages ranging from 10 to 18 years).

Detailed description: One empirically supported intervention with a large evidence base for improving adult outcomes in behavioral health-related disorders is Motivational Interviewing (MI). MI is strongly rooted in the client-centered therapy of Rogers (1951). Its relational stance emphasizes the importance of understanding the client's internal frame of reference and displaying unconditional positive regard for the client. Motivational interviewing can thus be defined as a client-centered, directive method of therapy for enhancing intrinsic motivation to change by exploring and resolving ambivalence. MI manifests through specific strategies, such as reflective listening, summarization, shared decision making, and agenda setting.

Adolescent participants exposed to motivational interviewing in conjunction with usual care (diet and exercise program) are expected to endorse greater self-efficacy, report increased engagement in healthy behaviors, demonstrate a decrease in body weight and report improved psychological outcomes. While motivational interviewing has been shown to increase adults' motivation to make healthy behavior changes, few adolescent studies have demonstrated this effect.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Obese youth (with Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ to 85th percentile for age and gender (as classified by the Center for Disease Control))
* ages 10-18 years
* attending a local obesity clinic ("Healthy Weights" clinic)

Time of entry into the weight-loss program was controlled for; however, both new and current participants had the option to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

* taking medication whose side effects may influence weight gain or weight loss
* did not speak English
* demonstrated a developmental delay
* reported being pregnant and/or reported having an eating disorder

Primary outcomes:
measure: Weight Efficacy Life-style Questionnaire
timeFrame: Baseline, 6 month follow-up
measure: Child Dietary Self-Efficacy Scale
timeFrame: Baseline, 6 month follow-up
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Physiological Outcomes: BMI
timeFrame: Baseline, 6 month follow-up
measure: Physiological Outcomes: Waist Circumference
timeFrame: Baseline, 6 month follow-up
measure: Psychological Well-being
timeFrame: Change over time from Baseline to 6 months (measured monthly) with a 12 months reassessment
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Toronto
country: Canada
facility: The Hospital for Sick Children
state: Ontario
Study officials:
affiliation: The Hospital for Sick Children
name: Jill Hamilton, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: