Tailored communications for obesity prevention in pediatric primary care: a feasibility study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric primary care
• Public health interventions
• Obesity prevention

Background:

• Childhood obesity prevention guidelines emphasize counseling on healthy behaviors.
• Theory-based, tailored communication interventions can support behavior change.
• Feasibility of integrating such interventions into routine pediatric care needs evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility of the Team Up for Health intervention for childhood obesity prevention.
• To assess the acceptability and implementation of a tailored communication strategy during well-child visits.
• To determine the demand for an obesity prevention program delivered in a primary care setting.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving parents of children aged 4-10 years.
• Comparison of an immediate intervention group with a delayed intervention group.
• Assessment of feasibility across seven domains: recruitment, randomization, measurement, retention, acceptability, implementation, and demand.

Main Results:

• High rates of measurement (85%), acceptability (89%), and implementation (80%) were observed.
• The intervention demonstrated feasibility within the pediatric primary care setting.
• Recruitment, randomization, and retention data also supported feasibility.

Conclusions:

• The Team Up for Health intervention is feasible for childhood obesity prevention.
• Tailored communication strategies can be effectively delivered during well-child visits.
• Further research with larger sample sizes is necessary to establish the intervention's efficacy.