Grant: Partnerships for Health System Improvement (PHSI)

Childhood obesity is an urgent public health issue. Roughly one-quarter of Canadian children are overweight, putting them at risk for chronic diseases. Because most families access health services in primary care, it is an ideal venue for obesity prevention. Specifically, programs in primary care can prevent unhealthy weight gain in healthy weight children (primary prevention) AND reduce unhealthy weight gain in children who are already overweight (secondary prevention). Parents play a key role in children's health, so it is vital to include parents in strategies to prevent childhood obesity. Our team will work with the Edmonton Oliver Primary Care Network (EOPCN) to prevent childhood obesity through the following objectives: 1.Develop a web-based, brief (20-30 minutes long) program for parents as an educational tool to (i) motivate parents to support healthy lifestyles in children, and (ii) access community resources and health services that can prevent childhood obesity; 2.Assess the acceptability of the program using focus group interviews with parents (n=15) and health professionals (n=12); 3.Determine family recruitment (n=140) and retention rates at baseline, 1-, and 6-months follow-up; 4.With the same sample (n=140), collect preliminary data at baseline, 1-, and 6-months follow-up to explore if the program led to changes in (i) parents' motivation to support their children's lifestyle habits, and (ii) families' use of resources and health services to prevent childhood obesity. Findings from this developmental study will inform a future clinical trial to test intervention efficacy. The collaborations we will develop between our researchers, decision-makers, and the EOPCN are very important. These partnerships will help us to develop a novel program for parents as well as share our results with professionals and families dedicated to preventing childhood obesity in Alberta and across Canada.