Research study promotes child weight-loss program in primary care setting
Issue date: 2/23/09 Section: The Scene
While the childhood obesity epidemic remains one of the nation's top public health concerns, a new intervention program has been developed by researchers at East Tennessee State University that is designed to take place in the primary care setting where providers can facilitate parental involvement in promoting healthy eating habits and physical activity at home.
"We believe this partnership between parents and health care providers can be very effective in reducing the overweight status of children," said Dr. Tiejian Wu, associate professor of biostatistics and epidemiology in ETSU's College of Public Health and associate professor of family medicine at the James H. Quillen College of Medicine.
Through a grant, Wu and his research colleagues will work with practitioners at two family medicine centers and two pediatrics clinics in Northeast Tennessee.
The program is designed to educate primary care providers on brief interventions parents can use that are geared toward changing and maintaining healthier family eating and activity behaviors.
In addition, parents will participate in a series of clinic-based group sessions moderated by a nurse practitioner or nutritionist.
Follow-up visits and phone calls will also be a component of the program.
"Primary care providers are well positioned to intervene with overweight children and their parents, and our goal is to open up more dialogue and to present them with new strategies for addressing the obesity problem," Wu said.
Before the intervention and at the conclusion of the study, the research team will be measuring the body mass index (BMI) of the participants.
They will also be assessing changes in provider and parent attitudes and their perceptions toward this treatment approach while looking at whether eating habits and the amount of physical activity improved.
Joining Wu in the study are Dr. Karen Schetzina, ETSU assistant professor of pediatrics; Dr. Fred Tudiver, ETSU professor of family medicine; and Dr. William Dalton, ETSU assistant professor of psychology.
The project is funded through a $213,750 grant from the National Institutes of Health.
"We believe this partnership between parents and health care providers can be very effective in reducing the overweight status of children," said Dr. Tiejian Wu, associate professor of biostatistics and epidemiology in ETSU's College of Public Health and associate professor of family medicine at the James H. Quillen College of Medicine.
Through a grant, Wu and his research colleagues will work with practitioners at two family medicine centers and two pediatrics clinics in Northeast Tennessee.
The program is designed to educate primary care providers on brief interventions parents can use that are geared toward changing and maintaining healthier family eating and activity behaviors.
In addition, parents will participate in a series of clinic-based group sessions moderated by a nurse practitioner or nutritionist.
Follow-up visits and phone calls will also be a component of the program.
"Primary care providers are well positioned to intervene with overweight children and their parents, and our goal is to open up more dialogue and to present them with new strategies for addressing the obesity problem," Wu said.
Before the intervention and at the conclusion of the study, the research team will be measuring the body mass index (BMI) of the participants.
They will also be assessing changes in provider and parent attitudes and their perceptions toward this treatment approach while looking at whether eating habits and the amount of physical activity improved.
Joining Wu in the study are Dr. Karen Schetzina, ETSU assistant professor of pediatrics; Dr. Fred Tudiver, ETSU professor of family medicine; and Dr. William Dalton, ETSU assistant professor of psychology.
The project is funded through a $213,750 grant from the National Institutes of Health.
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