The relationship between parent and child self-reported adherence and weight loss.
OBJECTIVE
Better adherence to treatment strategies in family-based behavioral weight control programs may lead to greater weight reduction and improved weight maintenance in youth. This study assessed the influence of child and parent self-reported adherence to behavioral strategies on changes in 2-year child and parent percentage overweight.


METHODS
Participants included 8- to 12-year-old children in >or= 85th BMI percentile and their parents from 110 families taking part in two family-based randomized controlled weight control studies. This study examined whether self-reported adherence to behavioral strategies measured at 24 months increased prediction of child and parent percentage overweight change through 24-month follow-up after accounting for other factors that may influence weight change.


RESULTS
Child adherence to weighing and to preplanning for celebrations where high-fat foods are served and parent adherence to praising the child and modeling healthy eating habits predicted 24-month child percentage overweight change (p<0.001). Child adherence to recording food and calories and parent adherence to modeling healthy eating habits predicted 24-month parent percentage overweight change (p<0.001). In hierarchical regression models, child weighing and preplanning and parent modeling were significant (p<0.01) incremental predictors (r2 of 24.8%) of 24-month child percentage overweight. Child recording and parent modeling were significant (p<0.01) incremental predictors (r2 of 14%) of parent 24-month percentage overweight change.


CONCLUSIONS
Child and parent adherence to specific components of family-based behavioral weight control treatment are independent predictors of long-term child and parent percentage overweight change.
Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Farber Hall, Room G56, 3435 Main Street, Building 26, Buffalo, New York 14214-3000, USA.
Brian H
BH
Wrotniak
Leonard H
LH
Epstein
Rocco A
RA
Paluch
James N
JN
Roemmich
D000328:Adult; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009679:Nuclear Family; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012923:Social Class; D015431:Weight Loss