Elizabeth Kubiniec , Hope I. White , Rina D. Eiden , Leonard H. Epstein , Gregory A. Fabiano , Kai Ling Kong , Stephanie Anzman-Frasca
{"title":"Effects of a shared activities parenting intervention on weight outcomes in middle childhood: An exploratory study","authors":"Elizabeth Kubiniec , Hope I. White , Rina D. Eiden , Leonard H. Epstein , Gregory A. Fabiano , Kai Ling Kong , Stephanie Anzman-Frasca","doi":"10.1016/j.eatbeh.2025.102002","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>General parenting interventions without an explicit focus on weight-related constructs have demonstrated lasting effects on child weight outcomes. However, well-established parenting interventions are time and resource intensive, which has limited their ability to transition to real-world delivery. This exploratory study examined whether Play With Me, a pilot at-home play-based general parenting intervention, affected weight outcomes in middle childhood. The intervention provided evidence-based parenting guidance that parents implemented in shared activities with their four-to-five-year-old children. Two years following the intervention, a follow-up survey was sent to families who had participated (<em>N</em> = 31), and parents (<em>n</em> = 27) reported child height and weight when children were 6.9 ± 0.6 years old. Children in the intervention group had a lower body mass index (BMI) in middle childhood, adjusting for baseline BMI, age, and sex (<em>d</em> = 0.52). Results were similar when examining BMI z-scores, percentiles, and overweight status, with children in the intervention group being less likely to meet clinical criteria for overweight at middle childhood follow-up than children in the control group (9.10 % intervention, 37.50 % control, V = 0.32). These exploratory findings add to the evidence supporting causal links between general parenting and child weight, extend this evidence to an interactive at-home intervention delivery model, and indicate that future rigorous, well-powered trials are needed to test whether results replicate and elucidate mechanisms through which general parenting may promote healthy child growth trajectories.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":11476,"journal":{"name":"Eating behaviors","volume":"58 ","pages":"Article 102002"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Eating behaviors","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471015325000625","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PSYCHIATRY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
General parenting interventions without an explicit focus on weight-related constructs have demonstrated lasting effects on child weight outcomes. However, well-established parenting interventions are time and resource intensive, which has limited their ability to transition to real-world delivery. This exploratory study examined whether Play With Me, a pilot at-home play-based general parenting intervention, affected weight outcomes in middle childhood. The intervention provided evidence-based parenting guidance that parents implemented in shared activities with their four-to-five-year-old children. Two years following the intervention, a follow-up survey was sent to families who had participated (N = 31), and parents (n = 27) reported child height and weight when children were 6.9 ± 0.6 years old. Children in the intervention group had a lower body mass index (BMI) in middle childhood, adjusting for baseline BMI, age, and sex (d = 0.52). Results were similar when examining BMI z-scores, percentiles, and overweight status, with children in the intervention group being less likely to meet clinical criteria for overweight at middle childhood follow-up than children in the control group (9.10 % intervention, 37.50 % control, V = 0.32). These exploratory findings add to the evidence supporting causal links between general parenting and child weight, extend this evidence to an interactive at-home intervention delivery model, and indicate that future rigorous, well-powered trials are needed to test whether results replicate and elucidate mechanisms through which general parenting may promote healthy child growth trajectories.
期刊介绍:
Eating Behaviors is an international peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing human research on the etiology, prevention, and treatment of obesity, binge eating, and eating disorders in adults and children. Studies related to the promotion of healthy eating patterns to treat or prevent medical conditions (e.g., hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cancer) are also acceptable. Two types of manuscripts are encouraged: (1) Descriptive studies establishing functional relationships between eating behaviors and social, cognitive, environmental, attitudinal, emotional or biochemical factors; (2) Clinical outcome research evaluating the efficacy of prevention or treatment protocols.