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Parent and Child Engagement in Family-oriented Therapies for Childhood Obesity

This project will be conducted in conjunction with the Perth Childrens Hospital Health Weight Service (PCHHWS) and will involve three phases.

Investigators

Saunders, L. A, Doust, J., Davis E. A., Price, L., Gibson, L. Y., Dimmock, J. A., Budden, T., and Jackson, B.

Project description

This project will be conducted in conjunction with the Perth Childrens Hospital Health Weight Service (PCHHWS) and will involve three phases. First, children who have previously been referred to the PCHHWS program will be assessed for their current Body Mass Index (BMI), psychosocial mental health (e.g. depression, anxiety, self-esteem, social interaction). Both children and parents, will be assessed for their motivation toward adhering to principles of a healthy lifestyle learnt through their PCHHWS program participation.

A sub-sample of this population will also be involved in focus group discussions aimed at identifying possible content additions to parent components of the PCHHWS program These focus groups will aim to understand why their children might have re-gained, lost, or maintained weight since PCHHWS, and to understand whether PCHHWS impacted upon parents’ current motivation and attitudes toward weight loss (about their own and their child’s weight loss).

This study will also include a subset of families that have been referred or attended a child/adolescent health and lifestyle program in the community with the aim of weight management. Second, new PCHHWS participants (both parents and children) will be assessed for their regulatory capabilities and their motivation to adhere to PCHHWS recommendations. The psychological and BMI-related outcomes of these children will also be assessed post-program.

Funders of the project

  • The University of Western Australia