Describing the Process and Tools Adopted to Cocreate a Smartphone App for Obesity Prevention in Childhood: Mixed Method Study.

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity prevention is a public health priority in industrialized countries. The Reggio Emilia Local Health Authority has implemented a program involving primary and secondary prevention as well as the care of obese children. There are many health-promoting mobile apps, but few are targeted to children and very few are sponsored by public health agencies. OBJECTIVE: The goal of the research was to describe the process and tools adopted to cocreate a mobile app sponsored by the Reggio Emilia Local Health Authority to be installed in parents' phones aimed at promoting child health and preventing obesity. METHODS: After stakeholder mapping, a consulting committee including relevant actors, stakeholders, and users was formed. Key persons for childhood obesity prevention were interviewed, focus groups with parents and pediatricians were conducted, and community reporting storytelling was collected. The results of these activities were presented to the consulting committee in order to define the functionalities and contents of the mobile app. RESULTS: Three key trends emerged from community reporting: being active, playing, and being outdoors; time for oneself, family, and friends; and the pressures of life and work and not having time to be active and socialize. In focus groups, interviews, and labs, mothers showed a positive attitude toward using an app to manage their children's weight, while pediatricians expressed concerns that the app could increase their workload. When these findings were explored by the consulting committee, four key themes were extracted: strong relationships with peers, family members, and the community; access to safe outdoor spaces; children's need for age-appropriate independence; and professional support should be nonjudgmental and stigma-free. It should be a dialogue that promotes family autonomy. The app functions related to these needs include the following: (1) newsletter with anticipatory guidance, recipes, and vaccination and well-child visit reminders; (2) regional map indicating where physical activity can be done; (3) information on how to manage emergencies (eg, falls, burns, fever); (4) module for reinforcing the counseling intervention conducted by pediatricians for overweight children; and (5) a function to build a balanced daily diet. CONCLUSIONS: The pilot study we conducted showed that cocreation in health promotion is feasible, with the consulting committee being the key co-governance and cocreation tool. The involvement of stakeholders in this committee made it possible to expand the number of persons and institutions actively contributing to the project.

Early life weight patterns and risk of obesity at 5 years: A population-based cohort study.

Childhood obesity is a major public health problem in industrialized countries. The aim of this study was to estimate the risk of obesity at age 5 based on BMI categories at age 3 and changes in BMI z-score from birth to 3 years of age. In this population-based study BMI data of 5173 children were collected at ages 3 and 5 and were linked to information relative to birth weight. The prevalence of obesity at age 5 was 3.8%. The risk of obesity for children born large for gestational age was 6.5%, while it was 18.6% for children overweight at age 3 and 62% for children who were obese at 3. An increase in BMI z-score from birth to 3 years increases the risk of obesity at age 5 (OR for increase of one standard deviation 2.8%; 95% CI: 2.46-3.20), but adjusting for BMI z-score at age 3, the effect of trajectory disappears (OR 1.08 95% CI: 0.9-1.29). In other words, if one targeted early preventive interventions to 3-year-olds affected by overweight/obesity (only 9.8% of the study cohort), one could possibly address 71% of children potentially affected by obesity at age 5.

Understanding the association between mother's education level and effectiveness of a child obesity prevention intervention: a secondary analysis of an RCT.

OBJECTIVES: to explain differences in effectiveness of paediatrician-led motivational interviewing (MI) in decreasing body mass index (BMI) between children of mothers with low or high education level. DESIGN: secondary analysis of a randomised control trial. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: individually randomized controlled trial previously conducted from 2011 to 2013 in the province of Reggio Emilia (Emilia-Romagna Region, Northern Italy). Eligible participants included in the trial were 372 (187 in the MI group and 185 in the control group) overweight children (BMI percentile >= 85th and < 95th) aged between 4 and 7 years, residing in the province of Reggio Emilia and under the care of paediatrician for >= 12 months. The intervention included 5 MI sessions based on the transtheoretical model of addiction and behavioural change delivered at 1, 4, 7, and 12 months after the baseline visit, when families had to define specific goals in changing physical activity (PA) and diet behaviours. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: primary: BMI score variation (ΔBMI) from baseline to 12 months; secondary: percentage of changes in parent-reported PA and dietary behaviours. RESULTS: a significant effect of MI on ΔBMI in children whose mothers had high education level (ΔBMI = -0.62; 95%CI -0.92;-0.32) were observed. Children of women with high education level in MI group had more improvements in set unstructured PA, decreasing screen time and sweet snacks consumption, while children with less educated mothers had improvements in consuming more vegetable soup and less desserts, sweet snacks, and sugary beverages. Highly educated mothers chose for their children to drink fewer sugary beverages and to increase PA. Less educated mothers most frequently chose as goals having breakfast, eating more fruit and vegetables, eating fewer snacks, and having less screen time. Overall achievement was similar in the two strata for diet goals, but higher for PA goals in the high education level stratum. CONCLUSIONS: MI intervention was not effective in reducing BMI in children of mothers with low education level. This does appear to be weakly or not associated with goal choices and achievement within MI, it is rather an effect of unmeasured behaviours which possibly mediate association between MI and BMI reduction.

Motivational Interviewing to Treat Overweight Children: 24-Month Follow-Up of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Pediatrician-led motivational interviewing can be an effective way of controlling BMI in overweight children in the short term. Its long-term efficacy is unknown. The primary aim was to determine whether the short-term (12-month) impact of family pediatrician-led motivational interviews on the BMI of overweight children could be sustained in the long term (24 months), in the absence of any other intervention. METHODS: Children were recruited in 2011 by family pediatricians working in the province of Reggio Emilia, Italy, and randomly allocated to receive either 5 interviews delivered over a 12-month period or usual care. Eligible participants were all 4- to 7-year-old overweight children resident in the province of Reggio Emilia who had been receiving care from the pediatrician for ≥ 12 months. The primary outcome of this study was individual variation in BMI between the baseline visit and the 24-month follow-up, assessed by pediatricians not blinded to treatment group allocation. RESULTS: Of 419 eligible families, 372 (89%) participated; 187 children were randomized to receive intervention and 185 to usual care. Ninety-five percent of the children attended the 12-month follow-up, and 91% attended the 24-month follow-up. After the 12-month intervention period, BMI in the intervention group increased less than in the control group (0.46 and 0.78, respectively; difference -0.32; P = .005). At the 24-month follow-up, the difference had disappeared (1.52 and 1.56, respectively; difference -0.04; P = .986). CONCLUSIONS: The intervention lost its effectiveness within 1 year of cessation. Sustainable boosters are required for weight control and obesity prevention.

Pediatrician-led motivational interviewing to treat overweight children: an RCT.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of family pediatrician-led motivational interviews (MIs) on BMI of overweight (85th ≥ BMI percentile ≥ 95 th) children aged 4 to 7 years. METHODS: All the family pediatricians working in Reggio Emilia Province (Italy) were invited to participate in the study; 95% accepted. Specific training was provided. Parents were asked to participate in the trial if they recognized their child as overweight. Children were individually randomly assigned to MIs or usual care. All children were invited for a baseline and a 12-month visit to assess BMI and lifestyle behaviors. The usual care group received an information leaflet, and the intervention group received 5 MI family meetings. The primary outcome was the individual variation of BMI, assessed by pediatricians unblinded to treatment groups. RESULTS: Of 419 eligible families, 372 (89%) participated; 187 children were randomized to MIs and 185 to the usual care group. Ninety-five percent of the children attended the 12-month visit. The average BMI increased by 0.49 and 0.79 during the intervention in the MI and control groups, respectively (difference: -0.30; P = .007). MI had no effect in boys or in children whose mothers had a low educational level. Positive changes in parent-reported lifestyle behaviors occurred more frequently in the MI group than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The pediatrician-led MI was overall effective in controlling BMI in these overweight children aged 4 to 7 years, even though no effect was observed in male children or when the mother's education level was low.