NOURISH+: Nourishing Our Understanding of Role Modeling to Improve Support and Health (NOURISH+)

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a parent intervention (NOURISH+) aimed at reducing the problem of overweight and obesity in children.

Pediatric overweight is a national public health concern. The percentage of overweight children in the U.S. between the ages of 5 and 11 has nearly tripled in the last 3 decades. African American children are particularly at risk. Pediatric overweight is associated with numerous physical and psychological health problems. Moreover, overweight children are at significant risk for obesity in adulthood. Thus, a focus on pediatric overweight is an important step in the prevention of adult obesity. Despite the urgent need for pediatric overweight interventions, outcomes of some of the most rigorous treatments are, at best, mixed. Although research has found that including parents in interventions for pediatric overweight has positive effects on outcomes, parental involvement is usually limited. Moreover, relatively few studies have included sufficient numbers of lower-SES, African American participants, a group at increased risk for pediatric overweight and associated complications. This study will evaluate the efficacy of an intensive intervention targeting ethnically diverse parents of overweight, children ages 5-11 (NOURISH-Nourishing Our Understanding of Role Modeling to Improve Support and Health).

Participants will receive a 6-week face-to-face intervention, NOURISH+. Weekly topics teach parents skills to role model and encourage healthy lifestyle behaviors for their children.

Participants will receive an in-person "Family Wellness Night" followed by 6 mailings of information regarding pediatric overweight and obesity.

1 week face-to-face family group followed by 6 informational mailings on childhood overweight and obesity.

Inclusion Criteria: Parents/caregivers must be at least 18 years old Parents/caregivers must have a child between the ages of 5 and 11 with a BMI > the 85th percentile, who primarily resides in the caregiver's home Parents/caregivers need to speak English, be able to follow basic instructions, and perform simple exercises Exclusion Criteria: Non-ambulatory parents/caregivers Pregnant parents/caregivers Parents/caregivers who have a medical condition that might be negatively impacted by exercise Parents/caregivers who have a psychiatric diagnosis that would impair their ability to respond to assessments or participate in a group Parents whose children have a medical or developmental condition that precludes weight loss using conventional diet and exercise methods

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