Parental preferences on addressing weight-related issues in children

Little is known about parental preferences on how providers should approach or manage weight-related concerns. A cross-sectional survey was conducted of 292 parents in a pediatric primary care faculty group practice. Of the 292 respondents, 90% were women, 45% had a child on Medicaid, and 53% had a body mass index of 25 or more. Only 12.1% of parents reported they had an overweight child. The term "gaining too much weight" was preferred 2:1 to "overweight" (51.1% versus 25.9%, P < .001). Most respondents (62.3%) thought the physician's office was the best place to manage an overweight child. Parents who reported they had an over-weight child were more likely to prefer individual than group sessions compared with those without an overweight child (odds ratio, 2.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-3.7). Further research is needed to investigate the reasons underlying these preferences and how they positively or negatively impact program satisfaction, attrition rates, and behavior change outcomes.