title: A randomized pilot trial of an integrated school-worksite weight control program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Worksite provision of paid time off for parent participation in a school-based healthy weight program may improve treatment adherence and outcomes. The current pilot study examined whether parents who received worksite support for attendance at a school-based healthy weight program would attend more sessions, lose more weight, and make healthier changes in home food environments than parents who did not receive worksite support.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-eight urban, low-income African American and Mexican American mothers of kindergartners were randomized to an integrated school-parent-worksite program that targeted healthy home food environments and energy balance self-monitoring or the identical school-based program without worksite support. Ten sessions were delivered to parent participants during afterschool hours. Process measures included session attendance and energy balance log completion. Outcome measures included parent body mass index (BMI) change, child BMI z-score change, and home food inventory (HFI) score changes over 12 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  RESULTS showed better weight change for parents (i.e., BMI unit reduction of 1.4 vs. 0.3 in comparison group, p = .001), increased parental attendance, and improvements in the home food environment when parents received paid time off from their worksite for their participation in the healthy weight program. Child weight change was also observed despite no direct contact with children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current pilot study provides support for the hypothesis that worksite support for school-based interventions may improve health outcomes that depend on parental involvement. Removing barriers to attendance in a healthy weight program resulted in improved treatment adherence and outcomes in low-income, minority parents and children.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University at Buffalo.
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling, School and Educational Psychology, Graduate School of Education, University at Buffalo.
authors.forename: Emilia D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Symoniak
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo.
authors.forename: Leonard H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Epstein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004651:Employment / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011203:Poverty; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits; D012572:School Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D058992:Social Participation; D061217:Weight Reduction Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*