Treatment Preferences of Overweight Youth and Their Parents in Western Canada

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the family environment and assess treatment preferences among overweight youth and their parents. Data were collected via 41 interviews with parents and children from the wait-list of a weight management clinic and analyzed using grounded theory methodology. Framed around an ecological framework, findings ranged from proximal family issues to more distal policy issues. At the family level, parents attempted to influence their children's lifestyle behaviors by using contradictory and inconsistent strategies that reflected extremes of leniency and control. There was resistance to reducing screen time because participants thought that it was important for the children's social lives. Participants desired better help from health care professionals, requested family-centered treatment, expressed a desire for increased social support, and needed policy/ program-level changes to assist their weight management efforts. These findings offer insight into the complexity of individual, familial, and environmental factors that impact both behavior change and health services delivery in pediatric weight management.

NP-led obesity clinics: a NP guided primary care approach for managing obesity in low income preschool-age children in Canada

“…Utilizing this approach would mean that obese children and teenagers who fail to lose a substantial amount of weight with primary care interventions, which are considered stage one and two interventions, should be referred to interdisciplinary weight management programs which are stage three interventions. Holt et al , 2008;White et al , 2004;Woolford et al , 2011). The interplay between social support and behavior change has been well recognized and even psychosocial theories reinforce this including the Theory for Planned Behavior and Social Learning Theory.…”

“…Additionally, families want changes to occur within the food industry that would make eating healthier easier (Holt et al, 2008). The cost of fruit and vegetables is rising making it less affordable for low income families and even families who are on a fixed budget to eat healthily.…”

“…Often those who are obese have few friends and are suffering in isolation from their peers (Holt et al , 2008). Poor peer interactions are common and group intervention strategies can enhance peer support.…”

“…This is facilitated by individual goal setting and individualized programs. Utilizing NPs and their unique skill set to generate therapeutic, reciprocal relationships with this often discriminated and stereotyped population assists in extinguishing previous negative interactions with other health care professionals (Holt et al, 2008;Krothe & Clendon, 2006). By attending to these factors, NPs will promote program attendance which is a primary aspect in successful weight loss for overweight children (Grimes- Current recommendations for standards of pediatric obesity care focus on promoting clinical care that is consistent with scientific evidence and family preferences (Pomietto et al, 2009).…”

“…Through the analysis of the literature it has been identified that pediatric obesity is increasing at an alarming rate with approximately 1.6 million Canadian children considered overweight or obese and childhood obesity has even surpassed that of adult obesity (Holt et al, 2008). It has been ascertained that weight gain in early life is a predictor of later obesity and that lifestyle behaviors are established in the early years (Campbell & Hesketh, 2007;Rudolf et al, 2010).…”