Motivation to Change Lifestyle Habits in Youth With Obesity
Approximately one-third of Canadian children have excess weight, putting them at increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, bone and joint problems, and some forms of cancer. Because current therapies for managing obesity have modest success, there is a need to develop and test innovative strategies to enhance pediatric weight management. Using a novel interview designed to measure motivation to change lifestyle habits, interviewers will conduct separate and structured 1-on-1 interviews with youth with obesity and parents. By applying principles of motivational interviewing, trained interviewers will ask youth and their parents about their motivation to change lifestyle habits related to diet and physical activity. Subsequently, interview data will be used to examine predictors of clinically-meaningful outcomes over time, including changes in weight status, lifestyle habits, health care utilization, and attrition. The investigators will also measure a number of variables related to weight management, including dietary intake, physical activity, anthropometry, and psychosocial health.
Start: November 2017