Treatment of Early Childhood Overweight in Primary Care: Pilot Study

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Family-based behavioral modification (FBM) is the "treatement of choice" for pediatric overweight. A comprehensive package, FBM includes a core set of intervention strategies (parents skills training; reduced sedentary behavior and increased physical activity; and reduced energy-dense and increased nutrient-dense foods). FBM also has strong theoretical foundations, which has allowed it to be rigorously evaluated. Despite these conclusions, the translation of FBM to primary care has received almost no investigation. FBM has been implemented almost exclusively in university-based clinics, by highly-trained clinical researchers, with motivated families having access to the clinic. This model does not reach the vast majority of overweight children in the popuation, especially those living in rural communities. Thus, there is a need for "translational" studies that adapt FBM for implementation by existing clinical staff in a cost-effective manner manner, that is well accepted by staff and patients. To this end, we propose a planning, pilot and feasibility intervention study that will be conducted within Geisinger Community Practice network. Geisinger is a comprehensive health care network that serves more than 2.5 million families across 38 counties of central Pennslyvania, many of whom reside in rural and underserved communities. The proposed pilot study, a 2-group randomized clinical trial, will be conducted out of a primary care clinic within the Geisinger network. Participants will be 60 oveweight or at-risk for overweight children, 4 to 8 years old, and a caregiver, who will be randomized to one of two conditions: Family-based Behavioral Modification (FBM; N= 30) or Minimal Nutrition Information (MNI; N=30). FBM will consist of streamlined parent- and child-group meetings, tailored for primary care and implimented by the staff nurse and pediatrician. MNI will consist of nutritional handouts and fliers. Primary outcomes measures will be 4-month changes in child weight status, diet and physical activity, and cardiovascular outcomes (for effect size estimation), and measures of treatment acceptability by families and primary care staff. This pilot study will provide Penn and Geisinger investigators the time, resources, and pilot data necessary to map out a larger- scale intervention study across the Geisinger primary care nework, using the R18 funding mechanism.