University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health, 650 Charles Young Dr South, A2-125 CHS, Box 956900, Los Angeles, CA 90095-6900. E-mail:
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA/RAND Prevention Research Center, Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, The RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California.
Prev Chronic Dis. 2014 Apr 4;11:E54. doi: 10.5888/pcd11.130138.
Overweight and obesity remain significant public health risks for youth in the United States, particularly among racial/ethnic minority groups. Efforts at obesity prevention and control have targeted youth and family members in diverse settings. Although involving parents in obesity prevention programs for youth may improve the potential of these programs, less is known about parents' preferred methods of engagement, especially among racial/ethnic minority parents and parents whose primary language is not English. In this qualitative study, parents of middle-school-aged children were asked how best to engage their children in obesity prevention and control efforts.
We recruited 38 parents whose children attended Los Angeles middle schools to participate in focus groups. Two English-language focus groups with 14 parents of different racial/ethnic backgrounds and 2 Spanish language groups with 24 Latino parents were conducted from 2010 through 2011. We analyzed focus group transcripts by using content analysis using inductive and deductive techniques.
Findings from focus groups confirmed that parents want to help their children avoid obesity but feel constrained in their ability to take action. Participants identified an overarching desire to become better parents as a potential incentive to engage in obesity prevention efforts. Parents advocated for family-focused approaches in obesity prevention programs, including family sports leagues and cooking classes. Most findings were consistent between language groups, but parents in the Spanish language groups cited language-related barriers.
The development and testing of simple programs that are sustainable, community-based, and family-focused may empower families to address obesity prevention and control.
超重和肥胖仍然是美国青少年面临的重大公共健康风险，尤其是在少数族裔群体中。肥胖预防和控制工作已针对不同环境中的青少年和家庭成员展开。虽然让父母参与青少年肥胖预防计划可能会提高这些计划的效果，但对于父母更喜欢的参与方式，尤其是在少数族裔父母和母语不是英语的父母中，我们知之甚少。在这项定性研究中，我们询问了中学年龄段孩子的父母，他们希望如何最好地让孩子参与肥胖预防和控制工作。
我们招募了 38 名孩子就读于洛杉矶中学的家长参加焦点小组。2010 年至 2011 年，我们用英语进行了两个焦点小组，参与者来自不同种族/族裔背景的 14 名家长；用西班牙语进行了两个焦点小组，参与者来自 24 名拉丁裔家长。我们使用归纳和演绎技术对焦点小组的记录进行了内容分析。
焦点小组的结果证实，父母希望帮助孩子避免肥胖，但他们感到自己采取行动的能力受到限制。参与者认为，作为参与肥胖预防工作的潜在动力，他们想要成为更好的父母。家长倡导在肥胖预防计划中采取以家庭为中心的方法，包括家庭体育联赛和烹饪课程。大多数发现结果在语言群体之间是一致的，但西班牙语群体的家长提到了与语言相关的障碍。
开发和测试简单、可持续、以社区为基础、以家庭为重点的计划可能会增强家庭解决肥胖预防和控制问题的能力。
