The Self-Reported Strengths and Concerns of Treatment-seeking Obese Youth and Their Caregivers

Our purpose was to identify the self-reported strengths and concerns of 267 obese youths and their caregivers. Measures included a demographic questionnaire and an open-ended questionnaire whereby youth and caregivers were asked to list their top 3 strengths and concerns. Using qualitative methods, themes were deducted for both youth and caregiver strengths and concerns. Youth reported "physical activity" and "school" as a strength, and "weight" as a concern. Caregivers reported "health" and "weight" as their most prevalent concern, whereas "child behavior, character, or outlook" and "family" were strengths. Results were further compared by gender and race. Understanding the self-reported strengths and concerns of obese youth and caregivers can inform future family-based treatment.