Predicting Parental Participation to Toddler Obesity Prevention Programs

Abstract

The prevention of obesity in the United States has become a serious public health concern, especially among children. In 2013, it was estimated that there were 23.9 million children in the U.S. ages 2 to 19 who were overweight or obese. Since children with overweight or obesity are at higher risk for becoming adults who are obese and may suffer from serious chronic disease, addressing the issue of preventing childhood obesity should be a top priority. One important barrier to overcome when trying to develop childhood obesity prevention programs is addressing parental participation in such programs. Childhood obesity prevention programs often deal with low parental participation to program protocols, which can lead to diminished program results. Exploring factors that predict parental participation will help to increase childhood obesity prevention program adherence levels, which in turn will lead to better program outcomes. This research explored factors that predict parental participation in a toddler obesity prevention program conducted in a rural area of Maryland and an urban area of Maryland. This research also looked at relationships between intervention lesson content and parental participation. Although some intervention outcome effects had statistically significant relationships with level of parental participation and certain intervention lesson content, overall most results were not statistically significant. One variable contributed the most to predicting parental participation. The results helped shape the suggestions regarding future research in the area of toddler obesity prevention programs and parental participation. Successful program outcomes will ultimately lead to fewer adults who are obese, which in turn will reduce medical expenditures and medical costs associated with treating obesity and obesity-related chronic diseases.