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Parent predictors of child weight change in family based behavioral obesity treatment

Kerri N Boutelle1, Guy Cafri, Scott J Crow

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. kboutelle@ucsd.edu

Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
|March 17, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Parental weight loss is key for childhood obesity treatment. A study found that for every 1 BMI unit parents lost, children lost 0.255 BMI units, highlighting the importance of parent weight change in family-based behavioral interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Behavioral Science
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern.
  • Family-based behavioral treatments are a primary approach for managing pediatric obesity.
  • Parental involvement and modeling are crucial components of these interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the predictive role of parenting skills and parent weight change on child weight change.
  • To analyze predictors within a family-based behavioral weight loss program for childhood obesity.

Main Methods:

  • Study included 80 parent/child dyads enrolled in a family-based behavioral weight loss program.
  • Data collected on parent Body Mass Index (BMI) change, home food environment, parenting behaviors, and demographics.
  • Parent and child reports were utilized for parenting variables.

Main Results:

  • Parent BMI change significantly predicted child weight change.
  • A reduction of 1 BMI unit in parents was associated with a 0.255 reduction in child BMI.
  • Other variables, including parenting skills and home food environment, were not significant predictors in the final model.

Conclusions:

  • Parent weight change is a critical factor in the success of behavioral treatments for childhood obesity.
  • Clinicians and researchers should prioritize encouraging parental weight loss to support children's weight management efforts.
  • Focusing on parent weight reduction can enhance the effectiveness of family-based obesity interventions.

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