Childhood Obesity: How Engaging Parents of Children with Elevated Body Mass Index in Positive Dietary and Lifestyle Education in Pediatric Primary Care Improved Parental Role Modeling Practices within the Home

Abstract

The purpose of the quality improvement (QI) project was to provide parents nutritional education of recommended feeding practices as a means of encouraging parents to incorporate healthy parental role modeling behavior at home and reduce pediatric body mass index (BMI). The plan-do-study-act was the chosen methodology applied to initiate a practice change within the current treatment of childhood obesity in the outpatient pediatric setting [1, 2]. There was a total of 9 parent/child dyad participants who completed the study. The inclusionary criteria for the study was the child was 2-5 years old, with a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 85% according to the pediatric growth curve with accompanied parents/ guardians that was able to give consent. The study demonstrated that there was a statistically significant difference in the pre-survey scores (M=19.00, SD=5.39) and the post-survey scores (M=16.44, SD=3.32); t (8) =2.34, p =.048; clarifying that lower/decreased survey scores demonstrated an improvement in parental knowledge. There was not a significant difference be- tween the pre-educational BMI (M=18.27, SD=.75) and the post-educational BMI (M=18.39, SD=1.16) of study participants; t (8) =-.35, p=.734. This study used the Parental Role Model Assessment tool to compare the pre-interventional parental role modeling scores to the post-interventional role modeling scores within the pediatric home. The quality improvement (QI) team determined that the post interventional Parental Role Model Assessment scores decreased which suggested that the educational intervention delivered by the pediatric provider on positive parental role modeling was retained and modeled by the parents within the pediatric home over a 3 month period. The team concludes that enhancing standards of practice within the pediatric primary care setting to allow for improving parental nutritional/ lifestyle knowledge deficits and providing education to strengthen positive parental role modeling will act to enhance quality-health outcomes within the pediatric obese/overweight population.