The Families and Schools for Health Project: A Longitudinal Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Targeting Children with Overweight and Obesity

Glade L. Topham, Isaac J. Washburn, Laura Hubbs-Tait, Tay S. Kennedy, Julie M. Rutledge, Melanie C. Page, Taren Swindle, Lenka H. Shriver and Amanda W. Harrist
Additional contact information
Glade L. Topham: Department of Applied Human Sciences, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Isaac J. Washburn: Department of Human Development & Family Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
Laura Hubbs-Tait: Department of Human Development & Family Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
Tay S. Kennedy: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
Julie M. Rutledge: School of Human Ecology, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA 71272, USA
Melanie C. Page: Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
Taren Swindle: Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
Lenka H. Shriver: Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27412, USA
Amanda W. Harrist: Department of Human Development & Family Science, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-13

Abstract: This cluster randomized controlled trial aimed at overweight and obese children compared three treatments. Two psychoeducation interventions for parents and children were conducted: Family Lifestyle (FL) focused on food and physical activity; Family Dynamics (FD) added parenting and healthy emotion management. A third Peer Group (PG) intervention taught social acceptance to children. Crossing interventions yielded four conditions: FL, FL + PG, FL + FD, and FL + FD + PG—compared with the control. Longitudinal BMI data were collected to determine if family- and peer-based psychosocial components enhanced the Family Lifestyle approach. Participants were 1st graders with BMI%ile >75 ( n = 538: 278 boys, 260 girls). Schools were randomly assigned to condition after stratifying for community size and percent American Indian. Anthropometric data were collected pre- and post-intervention in 1st grade and annually through 4th grade. Using a two-level random intercept growth model, intervention status predicted differences in growth in BMI or BMI-M% over three years. Children with obesity who received the FL + FD + PG intervention had lower BMI gains compared to controls for both raw BMI (B = ?0.05) and BMI-M% (B = ?2.36). Interventions to simultaneously improve parent, child, and peer-group behaviors related to physical and socioemotional health offer promise for long-term positive impact on child obesity.

Keywords: child obesity; child overweight; randomized controlled trial; intervention; family; school (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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