Reducing Screen-Based Sedentary Behavior Among Overweight and Obese Hispanic Adolescents Through a Family-Based Intervention

Abstract

Background: Sedentary behaviors, including screen-based activities, are associated with obesity, cardiovascular, and mental health risks. In the US, minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged youth engage in substantial sedentariness, requiring targeted interventions. Familias Unidas for Health and Wellness (FUHW) is a family intervention to reduce risks among Hispanic youth with overweight and obesity. Analyses examined (1) FUHW’s impact on parent and adolescent screen-based sedentary behavior and (2) differential intervention effects by adolescent gender, internalizing symptoms, and body mass index. Methods: A total of 280 overweight/obese Hispanic middle schoolers and parents were randomized to FUHW or control and assessed at baseline, 6, 12, and 24 months between 2015 and 2019. Results: Linear growth models showed that exposure to FUHW was not associated with parent sedentary behavior over time (b = −0.11, P = .32) but was associated with decreases in adolescent sedentary behavior (b = −0.27, P = .03). Neither gender nor internalizing symptoms moderated intervention effects, but there were differential effects by body mass index. Compared to controls, FUHW showed significant decreases in sedentary behavior among overweight (b = −0.85, P < .01) and obese (b = −0.79, P < .01) youth but not severely obese youth. Conclusions: FUHW reduced youth screen-based sedentary behavior. Youth with severe obesity require additional intervention.