Digital Tools to Support Family-Based Weight Management for Children: Mixed Methods Pilot and Feasibility Study.

Background: Family-based behavioral therapy is an efficacious approach to deliver weight management counseling to children and their parents. However, most families do not have access to in-person, evidence-based treatment. We previously developed and tested DRIVE (Developing Relationships that Include Values of Eating and Exercise), a home-based parent training program to maintain body weight among children at risk for obesity, with the intent to eventually disseminate it nationally alongside SafeCare, a parent support program that focuses on parent-child interactions.

Project IPAL: Enhancing the Well-Being of Elementary School Children.

In Louisiana, 33% of adolescents and 28% of children are overweight or obese (Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, 2011). It is projected that as many as 24,000 more children in Louisiana may become obese by 2020 if the trend continues (Broyles et al, 2011). Researchers have identified several strategies to address overweight among youth, but more work needs to be done in our classrooms to teach university students the skills necessary to become real-world ready for working with children and adolescents who struggle with weight management.