Counseling to Prevent Obesity Among Preschool Children: Acceptability of a Pilot Urban Primary Care Intervention

The Article in Brief

Counseling to Prevent Obesity Among Preschool Children: Acceptability of a Pilot Urban Primary Care Intervention

M. Diane McKee , and colleagues

Background Obesity in children is a growing public health concern. This study evaluates parents' reactions to a program that addresses risk behaviors for obesity among urban preschool children. In the program, doctors incorporate family lifestyle change and goal setting into pediatric preventive care visits.

What This Study Found Parents welcome doctors� efforts to address family lifestyle change to prevent obesity in their childrens' preventive visits. Study participants welcomed family-centered goal setting for obesity-related risk behaviors, and were accepting of referral to a health educator for behavior change counseling. The study found sometimes overwhelming barriers to change in the low-income urban setting, such as complex family dynamics around control of resources and generational conflict and cultural beliefs about food. Parents expressed frustration with doctors for offering advice about changing behavior but not how to achieve it, for dismissing concerns about picky eating or undereating, and in some cases for labels of overweight, which they believe were inappropriately applied.

Implications

• Doctors may need help to deliver some health behavior change messages effectively.
• The authors suggest that behavior change messages should focus on raising healthy children rather than preventing obesity.