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Loss to follow-up in a randomized controlled trial study for pediatric weight management (EPOC)

Petra Warschburger1, Katja Kröller2,3

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Counseling Psychology, Potsdam University, Karl- Liebknecht- Str. 24/25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany. warschb@uni-potsdam.de.

BMC Pediatrics
|November 16, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Attrition in pediatric weight management is low, with few differences between completers and non-completers. Educational background and eating environment structure predict retention in the EPOC study.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric obesity intervention research
  • Clinical trial methodology
  • Public health and nutrition

Background:

  • Attrition is a significant challenge in intervention studies, particularly in pediatric weight management.
  • The EPOC study, a randomized controlled trial, aimed to analyze attrition rates during follow-up in a tertiary care setting.
  • Understanding attrition predictors is crucial for improving long-term intervention success.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze attrition rates in a pediatric weight management program (EPOC study).
  • To identify demographic and psychological predictors of attrition at 6- and 12-month follow-ups.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of retention strategies in a randomized controlled trial.

Main Methods:

  • The study involved 523 parents and children (aged 7-13) with obesity in a randomized controlled trial.
  • Attrition was defined as the absence of objective weight data at 6- and 12-month follow-ups.
  • Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to predict attrition based on baseline characteristics.

Main Results:

  • Objective weight data were obtained from 49.6% (6 months) and 67.0% (12 months) of participants.
  • Differences between completers and non-completers included weight loss, initial BMI-SDS, parental education, and child's quality of life.
  • Multivariate analysis identified parental educational background and eating environment structure as significant predictors of retention.

Conclusions:

  • The study's retention strategies appeared successful due to minor differences between completers and non-completers.
  • Further research should concentrate on preventing attrition in families with lower educational backgrounds.
  • Identifying and addressing barriers to participation is key for sustained intervention effects in pediatric obesity.
Abstract

Keywords:
AttritionChildObesityPredictorsWeight management trial

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