PLAY! Parents Lead Active Youth

Arizona State University-Tempe Campus, Tempe AZ

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The incidence of overweight and obesity has increased at a staggering rate in the U.S. A recent report from the Institute of Medicine has revealed that rates of obesity in the preschool child population have doubled and that 3-5 year olds whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is >85% have a more that 40% chance of later-life obesity. Factors that place young children at risk for obesity include early adiposity rebound (AR), which occurs between the ages of 5 & 7 years; increased BMI% at AR; a rapidly increasing BMI during AR; and parental overweight/obesity or associated comorbidities. Many treatment and prevention intervention trials have been conducted with adults and school-aged children (8-12 years of age), with varying success. There is, however, limited information regarding intervention strategies that have been tested with preschool or young school- aged children who are overweight/obese and there are limited published reports of prevention or treatment intervention trials conducted in primary care settings. This pilot study is a theoretically-based randomized control trial to be conducted in primary care settings designed to test the effects of a theoretically based intervention on the physical and mental health outcomes of 50 overweight/obese 4-7 year old children and their parents. The overall goal of the PLAY (Parents Leading Active Youth) intervention program is to reduce the risk for negative health outcomes (e.g., physical and mental health outcomes) in 4-7 year old children who are overweight/obese or at high risk for later-life obesity and its adverse co-morbidities (e.g., cardiovascular disease). In addition to emphasizing to emphasizing healthy weight and weight control by educational information (e.g., healthy, age-appropriate nutrition and activity) and behavioral skills training (e.g., parenting skills), PLAY includes a strong mental health/positive parenting component that is directed toward parents. This 3-month-long, 4-session program has been carefully designed to be easily replicable and fit realistically within the time constraints of a busy pediatric office schedule and a parent's challenging work schedule. Minimizing subject attrition during the intervention program and the 12-month follow-up time period to ensure quality study data is a top priority: therefore, intervention sessions are brief, subject burden has been kept to a minimum, and intersession reminder phone calls have been planned. Because the intervention is derived from a theoretical model, statistical analyses will focus on testing the fit of the model to the observed results. This small study is the first experimental study to be conducted in primary healthcare pediatric offices that will test the effects of the PLAY (Parents Leading Healthy Youth) program on the physical and mental health outcomes of 4-7 year old children who are overweight or obese and thus at "high risk" for later-life obesity and their parents. This parent-focused program that offers positive parenting techniques and health information on nutrition and activity that is age-appropriate for children while helping parents to learn problem-solving techniques to overcome the barriers to leading a healthy family lifestyle as well as assist their young "at risk" children to develop the self-regulatory skills necessary for healthy weight maintenance. In light of the increasing rates of child overweight in the United States, such a program could provide busy pediatric healthcare providers with convenient, effective and ready-to-use information and tools to empower parents to affect the weight and health of their families. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]