Parental Concerns About Child Disordered Eating Among Youth With High Weights Participating in a Motivational...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric obesity research
• Behavioral interventions
• Disordered eating in children

Background:

• Parental concerns regarding disordered eating are crucial in pediatric obesity interventions.
• Understanding these concerns can inform tailored support for families.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize parental concerns about child disordered eating in youth with high weights.
• To explore associations with sociodemographic factors and study retention within a motivational interviewing intervention.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Population Effects of Motivational Interviewing on Pediatric Obesity in Primary Care study (a cluster-randomized controlled trial).
• Included 214 parents/guardians of children aged 3-11 years with BMI ≥ 85th percentile.
• Assessed disordered eating concerns using four screening questions at baseline and follow-up.

Main Results:

• 44.9% of parents reported at least one disordered eating concern at baseline.
• Concerns were higher in parents describing their child as overweight or obese (57.1% vs 29.8%).
• Baseline concerns did not correlate with study retention and showed no significant change post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• Parental disordered eating concerns are prevalent but may not influence engagement in behavioral interventions for pediatric obesity.
• Future studies should investigate intervention effects on disordered eating risk and screening strategies in diverse populations.