title: A Pilot Study of Parent Mentors for Early Childhood Obesity.
abstract: Objective. To assess the feasibility of a parent mentor model of intervention for early childhood obesity using positive deviance-based methods to inform the intervention. Methods. In this pilot, randomized clinical trial, parent-child dyads (age: 2-5) with children whose body mass index (BMI) was ≥95th percentile were randomized to parent mentor intervention or community health worker comparison. The child's height and weight were measured at baseline, after the six-month intervention, and six months after the intervention. Feasibility outcomes were recruitment, participation, and retention. The primary clinical outcome was BMI z-score change. Results. Sixty participants were enrolled, and forty-eight completed the six-month intervention. At baseline, the BMI z-score in the parent mentor group was 2.63 (SD = 0.65) and in the community health worker group it was 2.61 (SD = 0.89). For change in BMI z-score over time, there was no difference by randomization group at the end of the intervention: -0.02 (95% CI: -0.26, 0.22). At the end of the intervention, the BMI z-score for the parent mentor group was 2.48 (SD = 0.58) and for the community health worker group it was 2.45 (SD = 0.91), both reduced from baseline, p < 0.001. Conclusion. The model of a parent mentor clinical trial is feasible, and both randomized groups experienced small, sustained effects on adiposity in an obese, Hispanic population.
authors.affiliation: Division of Inpatient Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MC 7803, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
authors.forename: Byron A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.affiliation: Division of Inpatient Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MC 7803, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
authors.forename: Christian A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Aquino
authors.affiliation: Regional Academic Health Center Clinical Research Unit, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, 2102 Treasure Hills Boulevard, Harlingen, TX 78550, USA.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gil
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics (DEB), University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MC 7933, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan A L
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gelfond
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, MC 7806, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Hale
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008611:Mentors; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016896:Treatment Outcome