Objectives:Little is known about how children’s health might be affected by parents’
participation in commercial weight loss programs. Given that more than
3.2 million people subscribe to just one commercial weight loss program,
Weight Watchers, any secondary effects on children’s
weight-related health behaviors (e.g. dietary behaviors, physical activity,
and sedentary time) and body mass index from parent participation in
commercial weight loss programs may have significant public health
implications. This study examined the feasibility of conducting a study to
assess such effects. Methods for recruitment and retention, and perceived
acceptability and satisfaction among participants in small-scale preliminary
study, were evaluated. Changes in body mass index and health behaviors among
the parent–child dyads were also measured to test whether a larger-scale
study would be warranted.Methods:This was an 8-week, pre–post observational feasibility study involving 20
parent–child dyads where both members had overweight or obesity. Physical
and behavioral data were collected at baseline and 8 weeks from both members
of the dyads. Parenting data were collected at the same time periods through
parents’ self-report. Bivariate correlation was used to quantify the
associations in changes for dyad members.Results:Feasibility goals for retention and perceived acceptability/satisfaction
among participants were met. We reached approximately 80% of our enrollment
goal. Parents showed a significant decrease in body mass index of 0.53
points (p < 0.05), while children showed a significant increase in raw
body mass index (0.42, p < 0.05) and body mass index percentile (0.59,
p < 0.05). However, correlation between changes in parent body mass index
and changes in children body mass index percentile was positively correlated
(r = 0.24, p = 0.31). A decrease in parent intake of total fat was
associated with a decrease in the intake of fat in their children (r = 0.47,
p < 0.05).Conclusion:Our findings support the viability of a larger-scale follow-up to assess the
potential of using parent-only commercial weight loss program as a mechanism
for improving health behaviors and body mass index in children with
overweight or obesity.