Introduction: Obesity is a leading health crisis around the world. An intervention strategy scarcely utilized for behavior change is that of a child as change agent. The purpose of this study was to describe the impact of teens reviewing newsletters from a healthy lifestyle intervention with their parents.
Method: Evaluation data from a randomized controlled trial, COPE Healthy Lifestyle TEEN Program, was analyzed. A descriptive study was conducted of parents' and teens' lifestyle behaviors as reported by parents.
Results: One hundred sixty-nine parents completed evaluations. Two thirds of parents reported changing a behavior as a result of the program. Nearly three quarters of parents reported behavior changes in their teens. Over 90% reported they would recommend this or a similar program.
Discussion: The obesity epidemic shows no signs of reversal, and hence multiple approaches to impact healthy lifestyles are urgent. Including children as a change agent is a potential target for interventions addressing obesity.
Keywords: Healthy lifestyles; adolescent; change agent.
Copyright © 2020 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.