Black Children's Perceptions of Parental Support and Parenting Practices: 6-Month Weight Loss and Retention in a Pediatric Weight Management Program

Abstract

Objective: Black families are less likely to continue in pediatric weight management programs (PWMPs) and have less optimal outcomes. Few studies have examined how parenting practices and perceived support influence Black children's retention and weight loss in PWMPs.

Method: To fill this gap, this study sampled Black children and their parent (N = 49) who were participating in a Midwest PWMP to explore how children's reports of parental support and parenting practices at program initiation associate with early weight loss 3- and 6-month and retention at 6-month in the PWMP.

Results: There were no significant findings for the association of children's reports of parenting practices and their perceptions of parents' support for making health changes in the PWMP. However, the findings were in the anticipated direction, with effect sizes ranging from -0.92 to 0.42. Children who reported that their parent was supportive of their behavior change had less weight loss (i.e., increases in BMIz) from baseline to 3 months than those who perceived their parent's as unsupportive or neither supportive or unsupportive (p = 0.004). There were no significant correlations between BMIz change at 3 or 6 months and reports of parenting practices.

Conclusion: Additional research and with a larger sample are needed to further understand how parenting practices and support are associated with healthy behavior changes and retention of Black children and families in PWMPs.

Keywords: Black/African American families; children's perceptions; obesity; parental support; parenting practices; pediatric weight management program.