Objective: To describe families' selections of Conversation Cards (CCs), a priority-setting tool in pediatric weight management, and examine CC-related differences based on families' anthropometric and sociodemographic characteristics.
Methods: A retrospective medical record review was conducted of 2- to 17-year-olds with obesity and their families who enrolled in a pediatric weight management clinic between January, 2012 and September, 2016.
Results: Medical records of 146 children were included. On average, families selected 10 ± 6 CCs (range, 3-32 CCs); only 50% of families (n = 73) indicated perceived readiness to make healthy changes. Adolescents (vs children) revealed less healthy eating behaviors (P = .001) and physical activity habits (P = .002). Goal setting was perceived to be a motivator across several sociodemographic characteristics (all P < .05).
Conclusions and implications: The CCs were useful in describing families' priorities. The diversity of issues identified by families highlighted the importance of multidisciplinary expertise in pediatric weight management.
Keywords: family; goals; healthy eating; lifestyle; motivation; pediatric obesity; physical activity.
Copyright © 2017 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.