Impact of parental coaching on childhood obesity

Abstract

**Please note that the full text is embargoed** ABSTRACT: Background- Childhood obesity is an epidemic in the United States (US) affecting 12.7 million children (CDC8, 2015), and costing the US $14.1 billion every year (Cawley, 2010). It also costs corporate America about $9 billion in direct costs (Adeagbo, 2015) and $4.3 billion in indirect costs for healthcare expenditures (Cawley, 2010). Studies suggest interventions implemented by employers involving the whole family are twice as effective as interventions with employees alone (Adeagbo, 2015). Methods- This quality improvement pilot study used a quasi-experimental pre and post study design in an outpatient employee health clinic to evaluate a coaching method for empowering parents to manage childhood obesity. A convenience sample of 10 employed parents who had children between the ages of 2-19 years who were overweight or obese and met study criteria, were enrolled. Three coaching sessions lasting 20-30 minutes were provided before administering the posttest. Results- The Mann Whitney U test showed a measurable positive difference after coaching on healthy behaviors and was statistically and clinically significant (Mann-Whitney U= 80, Wilcoxon W=125, standard error = 12.26 and p = 0.003). Conclusion: Findings indicate management of childhood obesity through parental education, coaching, and family based interventions can promote healthy lifestyle changes among children.