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Parental preferences on addressing weight-related issues in children
Ihuoma U Eneli1, Ioanna D Kalogiros, Kaitlin A McDonald
1Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition/Columbus Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio 43205, USA. enelii@pediatrics.ohio-state.edu
Clinical Pediatrics
|June 8, 2007
Summary
Parental preferences for managing child weight concerns show a preference for "gaining too much weight" over "overweight." Most parents prefer physician offices for management, with those having an overweight child favoring individual over group sessions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric primary care
- Public health
- Behavioral science
Background:
- Parental perspectives on child weight management are not well understood.
- Effective weight management strategies require understanding parental preferences.
- Current approaches may not align with parental expectations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate parental preferences regarding terminology and management settings for child weight-related concerns.
- To identify factors influencing preferences for individual versus group weight management sessions.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey of 292 parents in a pediatric primary care setting.
- Data collected on demographics, child's weight status, and preferences for terminology and management.
- Statistical analysis, including odds ratios, to compare preferences between parent groups.
Main Results:
- "Gaining too much weight" was preferred over "overweight" by a 2:1 ratio (51.1% vs 25.9%).
- 62.3% of parents viewed the physician's office as the optimal setting for managing child weight concerns.
- Parents with an overweight child were more likely to prefer individual sessions (OR, 2.1).
Conclusions:
- Parental preferences for terminology and management settings are significant factors in pediatric weight management.
- Tailoring communication and program delivery (e.g., individual vs. group sessions) may enhance engagement and outcomes.
- Further research is needed to explore the impact of these preferences on program satisfaction and behavior change.
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