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Parent Involvement in Diet or Physical Activity Interventions to Treat or Prevent Childhood Obesity: An Umbrella
Emily J Tomayko1, Alison Tovar2, Nurgul Fitzgerald3
1Center for American Indian and Rural Health Equity, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59718, USA.
Insights
Parental involvement in childhood obesity interventions significantly improves children's weight status. This umbrella review confirms that including parents in diet and physical activity programs is crucial for effective treatment and prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Parental influence is a key determinant of children's dietary habits and physical activity levels.
- These behaviors are critical factors in the risk and management of childhood obesity.
- Existing interventions often involve parents, but a synthesized understanding of their impact is needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct an umbrella review synthesizing evidence on the effects of parent involvement in childhood obesity interventions (treatment and prevention).
- To assess the impact of parent involvement on the weight status of children aged 3-12 years.
- To identify gaps in the evidence regarding optimal parent involvement strategies.
Main Methods:
- Systematic search of multiple databases (Ovid/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Epistemonikos) up to January 2020.
- Inclusion of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of diet and physical activity interventions for children aged 3-12 with parent involvement and weight status outcomes.
- Independent screening, quality assessment, and data extraction by at least two authors, followed by narrative synthesis.
Main Results:
- Fourteen systematic reviews/meta-analyses (eight treatment, six prevention) were included, with quality ranging from very low to very high.
- Findings support the integration of parent components in both treatment and prevention interventions for improving child weight/weight status.
- Prevention interventions consistently incorporated a school-based component.
Conclusions:
- Parent involvement is a valuable component for improving child weight outcomes in obesity interventions.
- Further research is required to determine optimal types, duration, and delivery methods for parent involvement across diverse settings (home, school, preschool).
- Evidence synthesis supports incorporating parents into childhood obesity prevention and treatment strategies.
Abstract:
Parents substantially influence children's diet and physical activity behaviors, which consequently impact childhood obesity risk. Given this influence of parents, the objective of this umbrella review was to synthesize evidence on effects of parent involvement in diet and physical activity treatment and prevention interventions on obesity risk among children aged 3-12 years old. Ovid/MEDLINE, Elsevier/Embase, Wiley/Cochrane Library, Clarivate/Web of Science, EBSCO/CINAHL, EBSCO/PsycInfo, and Epistemonikos.org were searched from their inception through January 2020. Abstract screening, full-text review, quality assessment, and data extraction were conducted independently by at least two authors. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of diet and physical activity interventions that described parent involvement, included a comparator/control, and measured child weight/weight status as a primary outcome among children aged 3-12 years old were included. Data were extracted at the level of the systematic review/meta-analysis, and findings were narratively synthesized. Of 4158 references identified, 14 systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses (eight treatment focused and six prevention focused) were included and ranged in quality from very low to very high. Our findings support the inclusion of a parent component in both treatment and prevention interventions to improve child weight/weight status outcomes. Of note, all prevention-focused reviews included a school-based component. Evidence to define optimal parent involvement type and duration and to define the best methods of involving parents across multiple environments (e.g., home, preschool, school) was inadequate and warrants further research. PROSPERO registration: CRD42018095360.
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