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Related Concept Videos

Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques VI01:30

Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques VI

Adopting a healthier lifestyle often requires overcoming significant challenges, but leveraging psychological, social, and cultural resources can facilitate meaningful change. Effective self-change hinges on understanding and applying key tools such as motivation and goal setting, which help sustain efforts toward long-term health benefits.
Motivation and Self-Determination
Motivation, the driving force behind behavior, plays a pivotal role at every stage of the change process. The research...
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Social psychologists have documented that feeling good about ourselves and maintaining positive self-esteem is a powerful motivator of human behavior (Tavris & Aronson, 2008). In the United States, members of the predominant culture typically think very highly of themselves and view themselves as good people who are above average on many desirable traits (Ehrlinger, Gilovich, & Ross, 2005). Often, our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs are affected when we experience a threat to our...
Self-Regulation01:25

Self-Regulation

Self-regulation, also known as self-control, encompasses a range of cognitive and behavioral processes that allow individuals to adjust their internal states and outward actions to align with socially acceptable norms and long-term goals. It plays a fundamental role in adaptive functioning, from resisting impulsive behaviors to persisting through challenging tasks. While its benefits are widely recognized, self-regulation is not limitless. Muraven and Baumeister's theory posits that...
Self-Discrepancy Theory02:45

Self-Discrepancy Theory

One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.
Regression Toward the Mean01:52

Regression Toward the Mean

Regression toward the mean (“RTM”) is a phenomenon in which extremely high or low values—for example, and individual’s blood pressure at a particular moment—appear closer to a group’s average upon remeasuring. Although this statistical peculiarity is the result of random error and chance, it has been problematic across various medical, scientific, financial and psychological applications. In particular, RTM, if not taken into account, can interfere when researchers try to extrapolate results...
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Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity Management: A Case Report
05:10

Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity Management: A Case Report

Published on: May 30, 2025

Parental confidence in making overweight-related behavior changes.

Elsie M Taveras1, Kathleen Mitchell, Steven L Gortmaker

  • 1Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. elsie_taveras@hphc.org

Pediatrics
|July 1, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Parental confidence in making healthy family changes is boosted when clinicians assess their confidence and readiness to change. This supports behavior change for preventing childhood overweight.

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Area of Science:

  • Pediatric obesity prevention
  • Behavioral science in healthcare
  • Parental self-efficacy research

Background:

  • Parental confidence, or self-efficacy, is crucial for initiating and maintaining health behavior changes.
  • Higher self-efficacy correlates with a greater likelihood of overcoming obstacles in behavior modification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify factors related to increased parental confidence in managing family overweight-related behaviors.
  • Investigate parent, child, and clinician characteristics influencing parental confidence.

Main Methods:

  • Surveyed 446 parents of overweight children (BMI ≥85th percentile, ages 2-12) and 75 pediatric clinicians.
  • Assessed parental confidence using a 6-item scale (Cronbach's alpha = 0.72) covering diet and activity behaviors.
  • Employed multiple linear regression to analyze predictors of parental confidence scores.

Main Results:

  • The average parental confidence score was 13.0 (SD 3.5).
  • Parents reporting clinician assessment of their confidence (41%) or readiness to change (35%) showed significantly higher confidence levels.
  • Clinician assessment emerged as a key predictor of parental confidence.

Conclusions:

  • Clinician assessment of parental confidence and readiness to change is positively associated with higher parental confidence.
  • This highlights the importance of clinician-parent communication in pediatric weight management strategies.