Parents, childrren can together manage weight through DRIVE curriculum

While parents generally ignore their kids' overeating, obese children have more chances of becoming an obese adult. A new study found that parents and children can together manage weight through Developing Relationships that Include Values of Eating and Exercise (DRIVE) curriculum.

Parents typically are the most important and influential people in a child's environment, said the study authors.

Adding this weight management strategy to existing state and federal home visitation programs could help address the current childhood obesity crisis, they added.

For the findings, the study was done on 16 families. Children 2-6 years of age with a body mass index greater than the 75 % enrolled. Families were randomly assigned to receive health information only or DRIVE intervention.

The DRIVE curriculum was provided during 15 in-person sessions in the family's home. Sessions were 30 minutes long, during which parents and children practiced healthy daily routines including establishing regular snack and mealtimes, reducing screen time and encouraging physically active play.

Each session focused on a single health topic such as portion size, food preparation, how to discuss weight and growth concerns with the pediatrician, and effective parenting strategies.

The group that did not receive in-hone visits was mailed information on nutrition, physical activity and parent-child interaction at the beginning of the study.

As per the findings of the study, children in the DRIVE intervention maintained their body weight with a modest reduction in a BMI over 19 weeks of the study, while the children who received health education significantly increased their body weight and BMI.

Additionally, parents who participated in the DRIVE sessions also decreased their body weight.
The study also reported that all 16 families completed the program. This level of participation is much higher than programs delivered through clinics or community programs, which can see as many as 75% of attendees leave the classes,

The researchers shared, our results showed that all the half-way point of the study, children were becoming healthier. Changes in the health of the parents, though, study did not happen until the end of the study. This points to the need for long-tern, family based plans to support behaviour change.

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