title: Fitwits MD™: an office-based tool and games for conversations about obesity with 9- to 12-year-old children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Physician feelings of ineffectiveness and family-related barriers hamper childhood obesity discussions. Physicians desire appealing, time-efficient tools to frame and sensitively address obesity, body mass index, physical activity, nutrition, and portion size. Our university design-led coalition codeveloped tools and games for this purpose.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this feasibility study, we evaluated physician-level counseling of 9- to 12-year-old children and their parents/caretakers using Fitwits MD (Carnegie Mellon University School of Design, Pittsburgh, PA), a brief, structured intervention with flashcards and take-home games. Residency-based physicians in three low- to mid-level socioeconomic urban offices provided self-report data over 8 months through surveys, comment cards, and interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We recruited 33 physicians and 93 preadolescents and families. Child-centered key messages resulted in 7-minute conversations, on average. For those physicians who used Fitwits MD, 96% felt improved comfort and competence and 78% noted barrier reduction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fitwits MD improved residency-based physician self-efficacy and emphasized important health education topics regarding office-based childhood obesity discussions with preadolescents and parents/caretakers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavior and Community Health, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. mcgaffeyal@upmc.edu
authors.forename: Ann L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: McGaffey
authors.forename: Diane J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Abatemarco
authors.forename: Ilene Katz
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Jewell
authors.forename: Susan K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Fidler
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D037001:Directive Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000628:therapy*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D010988:Play and Playthings; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D057566:Self Report; D012923:Social Class; D019037:Urban Health Services