A Scoping Review: Family and Child Perspectives of Clinic-Based Obesity Treatment

Abstract

Problem: Interventions for children with obesity lead to only modest improvements in BMI and long-term outcomes, and data are limited on the perspectives of families of children with obesity in clinic-based treatment. This scoping review seeks to answer the question: What is known about the perspectives of families and children who receive care in clinic-based child obesity treatment?

Eligibility criteria: Studies were eligible for inclusion in this review that 1) reported parent, family or child perspectives of obesity treatment; 2) addressed concepts identified in the obesity literature as barriers or facilitators to success in obesity treatment from the perspective of the parent/family/child, including reasons for failure to return to clinic and satisfaction with care.

Sample: Twelve studies qualified for final inclusion in this scoping review RESULTS: Families report a lack of interventions tailored to their unique needs and resources. Barriers and facilitators encompass 1) structural issues (e.g., clinic location and scheduling); 2) financial issues; 3) patient and family issues; and 4) personal behaviors, motivation, and expectations.

Conclusion: Data are lacking on the clinic-based treatment of children with severe obesity, and few studies report on non-maternal perspectives.

Implications: Clinical practice must be tailored to individual family needs. Future research should concentrate on identifying missing variables which impact successful treatment outcomes through more rigorous qualitative studies, standardized outcome measures, focus on children with severe obesity, and fathers' and siblings' perspectives.

Keywords: Child perspective; Childhood obesity; Clinic-based treatment; Parental perspective; Scoping review.