Planning parental ehealth education about healthy-weight lifestyle in pediatric primary care patients 6-12 years
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18270/rsb.v12i1.3846Keywords:
obesity, needs assessment, youth, lifestyle intervention, primary careAbstract
Background: Childhood obesity is a pandemic with immediate and future health risks that demand holistic, personalized, and innovative treatments. Healthcare providers struggle to provide such treatment within the constraints of medical visits. A theoretical and evidence-based eHealth intervention could engage parents and caregivers to improve health behaviors and increase reach to low-income vulnerable families, a high-risk chort often neglected in clinical research. This study aims to identify needs and preferences of potential users of an eHealth intervention.
Methods: Focus groups and interviews of ethnically diverse, low-income parents and semi-structured interviews of primary healthcare staff obtained perspectives on the content and structure of a eHealth intervention intended to improve lifestyle habits to reduce childhood obesity. Research team members analyzed the data to identify specific needs and communication strategies for the target population.
Results: Parents endorsed learning more about healthy eating, physical activity, and the effects of sugar-sweetened beverages on their child’s weight. Parents reported a preference for bright colors, short texts, videos, summary quizzes, and additional resources to explore on their own and with their child. Healthcare staff reported time limitations during clinical visits and an interest in looping family progress into their EHR. Using an eHealth intervention, parents expect an improved relationship and increased trust with their child’s pediatrician.
Conclusion: Parents and staff saw value in this tool and provided useful recommendations for its design. This eHealth intervention could create a health alliance between the healthcare provider and family, provide personalized content, and be scaled to address health disparities broadly.
Downloads
References
Ben-Sefer E. The childhood obesity pandemic: Promoting knowledge for undergraduate nursing students. Nurse Educ Pract. 2009;9(3):159-65.
Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Fryar CD, Flegal KM. Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults and Youth: United States, 2011-2014. NCHS Data Brief. 2015(219):1-8.
Ogden CL, Fryar CD, Hales CM, Carroll MD, Aoki Y, Freedman DS. Differences in Obesity Prevalence by Demographics and Urbanization in US Children and Adolescents, 2013-2016. JAMA. 2018;319(23):2410-8.
Lange SJ, Kompaniyets L, Freedman DS, Kraus EM, Porter R, Dnp, et al. Longitudinal Trends in Body Mass Index Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Persons Aged 2-19 Years - United States, 2018-2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021;70(37):1278-83.
Rhee KE, Kessl S, Lindback S, Littman M, El-Kareh RE. Provider views on childhood obesity management in primary care settings: a mixed methods analysis. BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):55.
Epstein LH, Paluch RA, Roemmich JN, Beecher MD. Family-based obesity treatment, then and now: twenty-five years of pediatric obesity treatment. Health Psychol. 2007;26(4):381-91.
Janicke DM, Steele RG, Gayes LA, Lim CS, Clifford LM, Schneider EM, et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis of comprehensive behavioral family lifestyle interventions addressing pediatric obesity. J Pediatr Psychol. 2014;39(8):809-25.
Force USPST, Grossman DC, Bibbins-Domingo K, Curry SJ, Barry MJ, Davidson KW, et al. Screening for Obesity in Children and Adolescents: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. JAMA. 2017;317(23):2417-26.
Chaplais E, Naughton G, Thivel D, Courteix D, Greene D. Smartphone Interventions for Weight Treatment and Behavioral Change in Pediatric Obesity: A Systematic Review. Telemed J E Health. 2015;21(10):822-30.
Hutchesson MJ, Rollo ME, Krukowski R, Ells L, Harvey J, Morgan PJ, et al. eHealth interventions for the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2015;16(5):376-92.
Golan M, Crow S. Targeting parents exclusively in the treatment of childhood obesity: long-term results. Obes Res. 2004;12(2):357-61.
Golan M, Crow S. Parents are key players in the prevention and treatment of weight-related problems. Nutr Rev. 2004;62(1):39-50.
Houser SHJ, Reena; Puro, Neeraj; Burke, Darrell E. Use of Technology in the Management of Obesity: A Literature Review. Perspectives in Health Information Management. 2019:1-18.
Plaete J, De Bourdeaudhuij I, Verloigne M, Crombez G. Acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of an eHealth behaviour intervention using self-regulation: 'MyPlan'. Patient Educ Couns. 2015.
Bishop WP, Tiro JA, Sanders JM, Craddock Lee SJ, Skinner CS. Effectiveness of a community research registry to recruit minority and underserved adults for health research. Clin Transl Sci. 2015;8(1):82-4.
Turner KM, Salisbury C, Shield JP. Parents' views and experiences of childhood obesity management in primary care: a qualitative study. Fam Pract. 2012;29(4):476-81.
Hutchesson MJ, Morgan PJ, Callister R, Pranata I, Skinner G, Collins CE. Be Positive Be Healthe: Development and Implementation of a Targeted e-Health Weight Loss Program for Young Women. Telemed J E Health. 2016;22(6):519-28.
Bennett GG, Steinberg DM, Stoute C, Lanpher M, Lane I, Askew S, et al. Electronic health (eHealth) interventions for weight management among racial/ethnic minority adults: a systematic review. Obes Rev. 2014;15 Suppl 4:146-58.
Lau Y, Chee DGH, Chow XP, Cheng LJ, Wong SN. Personalised eHealth interventions in adults with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Prev Med. 2020;132:106001.
Heinberg LJ, Kutchman EM, Berger NA, Lawhun SA, Cuttler L, Seabrook RC, et al. Parent involvement is associated with early success in obesity treatment. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2010;49(5):457-65.
Whitlock EP, O'Connor EA, Williams SB, Beil TL, Lutz KW. Effectiveness of weight management interventions in children: a targeted systematic review for the USPSTF. Pediatrics. 2010;125(2):e396-418.
Brennan L, Walkley J, Wilks R. Parent- and adolescent-reported barriers to participation in an adolescent overweight and obesity intervention. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2012;20(6):1319-24.
Barlow SE, Ohlemeyer CL. Parent reasons for nonreturn to a pediatric weight management program. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2006;45(4):355-60.
Jarvis JW, Harrington DW, Manson H. Exploring parent-reported barriers to supporting their child's health behaviors: a cross-sectional study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2017;14(1):77.
Barlow SE, Dietz WH. Obesity evaluation and treatment: Expert Committee recommendations. The Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services. Pediatrics. 1998;102(3):E29.
Division of Nutrition PA, and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Tips for Parents–Ideas to Help Children Maintain a Healthy Weight United States of America: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2020 [Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/children/.
Frank HR, Ubel PA, Wong CA. Behavioral Economic Insights for Pediatric Obesity: Suggestions for Translating the Guidelines for Our Patients. JAMA Pediatr. 2020.
Goldthorpe J, Ali N, Calam R. Providing healthy diets for young children: the experience of parents in a UK inner city. Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being. 2018;13(1):1490623.
Eckstein KC, Mikhail LM, Ariza AJ, Thomson JS, Millard SC, Binns HJ, et al. Parents' perceptions of their child's weight and health. Pediatrics. 2006;117(3):681-90.
Maynard LM, Galuska DA, Blanck HM, Serdula MK. Maternal perceptions of weight status of children. Pediatrics. 2003;111(5 Pt 2):1226-31.
Doolen J, Alpert PT, Miller SK. Parental disconnect between perceived and actual weight status of children: a metasynthesis of the current research. J Am Acad Nurse Pract. 2009;21(3):160-6.
He M, Evans A. Are parents aware that their children are overweight or obese? Do they care? Can Fam Physician. 2007;53(9):1493-9.
Center PR. Mobile Fact Sheet USA: Pew Research Center; 2019 [Available from: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/.
Gonzales A. The contemporary US digital divide: from initial access to technology maintenance. Information, Communication & Society. 2016;19(2):234-48.
Davidson K, Vidgen H. Why do parents enrol in a childhood obesity management program?: a qualitative study with parents of overweight and obese children. BMC Public Health. 2017;17(1):159.
Dietz WH, Solomon LS, Pronk N, Ziegenhorn SK, Standish M, Longjohn MM, et al. An Integrated Framework For The Prevention And Treatment Of Obesity And Its Related Chronic Diseases. Health Aff (Millwood). 2015;34(9):1456-63.
Kind T, Huang ZJ, Farr D, Pomerantz KL. Internet and computer access and use for health information in an underserved community. Ambul Pediatr. 2005;5(2):117-21.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Universidad El Bosque
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The authors will submit a statement attesting to the authenticity of the material, attaching signature and id number. It is also required that they submit a statement surrendering economic rights to El Bosque University
