Motivational interviewing and dietary counseling for obesity in primary care: an RCT

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Behavioral Medicine

Background:

• Pediatric obesity is a growing public health concern.
• Limited research exists on motivational interviewing (MI) for pediatric obesity in primary care settings.
• This study addresses the need for evidence on MI's effectiveness in managing childhood overweight.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the efficacy of MI delivered by primary care providers and registered dietitians (RDs) to parents of overweight children.
• To evaluate the impact of MI on child BMI percentile over a 2-year period.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving 42 primary care practices.
• Participants were parents of overweight children aged 2-8 years.
• Three groups: usual care, provider-delivered MI, and provider + RD-delivered MI.

Main Results:

• The group receiving MI from both providers and RDs showed a statistically significant reduction in BMI percentile at 2-year follow-up compared to usual care.
• Mean changes in BMI percentile from baseline were 1.8 (usual care), 3.8 (provider MI), and 4.9 (provider + RD MI).
• The adjusted BMI percentile at 2 years was 90.3 (usual care), 88.1 (provider MI), and 87.1 (provider + RD MI).

Conclusions:

• Motivational interviewing delivered by both primary care providers and RDs is effective in reducing pediatric BMI percentile.
• Further research is required to determine the clinical significance and long-term persistence of these effects.
• Investigating scalable training methods for providers and RDs in primary care is crucial for implementation.