A Primary Care Educational Intervention for Families of Overweight Children

The prevalence of overweight among children has at least doubled in the past 25 years. In the year 2004, 18.8% of children ages 6-11 were overweight. Being overweight as a child is clearly associated with adulthood obesity. In addition, complications once prevalent only in adults are now being seen in overweight children and adolescents. These include hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and type II diabetes which are well known risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Obesity is also associated with low self-esteem among some groups of overweight adolescents.

Primary care providers are in a unique position to combat this epidemic. However, a recent survey found that only 12% of pediatricians felt highly effective in their ability to treat obesity. Furthermore, physicians reported that low self-efficacy in treating obesity was associated with a lack of patient educational materials. Few written resources for families of overweight children have been tested in the primary care setting. Much of the research on childhood overweight has been conducted in specialty obesity clinics where the resources and patient population may differ from those of primary care offices.

Kid STRIDE is an educational booklet designed for parents of overweight children. It includes information about nutrition, physical activity, and strategies for healthy living. It is hypothesized that the booklet will be distributed to and used by parents of children who are overweight or at risk for overweight. This study will analyze parents' perceptions of this booklet in order to improve its potential value. Information obtained from this pilot study will be used to prepare for a future study to determine the effectiveness of this intervention.

The purpose of this study is:

Aim 1 is to determine the distribution rate and uptake rate of an educational booklet for parents of children between the ages of 8 and 12 who are overweight.

Aim 2 is to describe parents' perceptions of the educational booklet.

Aim 3 is to assess the impact of the intervention on BMI as measured by change in BMI z-score.

Inclusion criteria

• Body mass index greater than or equal to the 95th percentile for age and gender
• Presenting to pediatrician for a health maintenance visit

Exclusion criteria

• Genetic conditions known to predispose to overweight
• Endocrine conditions associated with overweight
• Chronic steroid therapy
• Current enrollment in a professional weight management program