Evaluation of Provider Strategies to Promote Adherence to Childhood Obesity Clinical Guidelines
Abstract
**Please note that the full text is embargoed** ABSTRACT: The American population is rapidly becoming ethnically diverse with an increase in Hispanics.
As the number of Hispanics increase, so is the prevalence of obesity among Hispanic children,
adolescents, and adults, indicating a need for early prevention. Regardless of guidelines from an
array of professional organizations, translating evidence-based research into practice remains a
challenge for providers. The purpose of this study is to examine how a practice intervention
influences provider adherence to childhood obesity guidelines on preventing, assessing, and
treating obesity among Hispanic children ages 6 to 12 years old. The practice intervention
consisted of provider awareness of current practice performance in comparison to recommended
guidelines, provider involvement in practice improvement strategies, and collaborative support
by the researcher to implement the practice strategies. The Iowa Model of evidence-based
practice guided the study. The providers involved in the study had access to a profile of their
current practice behaviors along with an orientation process to written resources and office tools
on current clinical guidelines and expert panel recommendations on childhood obesity
prevention, assessment, and treatment. The researcher also collaborated with the providers to
help develop and incorporate an organization friendly system (stamp template, prevention
message prescription and resource box) to implement evidence-based guidelines into practice.
The researcher made weekly visits to the site over a two month period to monitor progression of
adherence to practice guidelines. Data collection strategy included retrospective chart audits for
documentation of adherence to guidelines. The baseline profile of clinic performance allowed the
participants to implement strategies that resulted in statistically significant improvements in total
adherence to childhood obesity clinical guidelines. The findings from this study suggest that
practice interventions which include provider awareness, provider involvement, and
collaborative support can change practice behaviors.