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Purpose: To develop a better understanding of effective parental support in self-management weight loss strategies for overweight and obese youth.
Methods: This integrative review evaluates the effects of current adolescent self-management weight loss interventions in racially and ethnically diverse adolescents aged 10 to 18 years. Studies published between 2010 and 2014 were identified by electronic database searches. The Jadad Scoring of Quality Reports of Randomized Clinical Trials was used to examine the quality of the studies. Three people independently reviewed the articles based on the Jadad criteria.
Findings: Ten studies, which met the inclusion criteria, were included in the final review. Jadad scores ranged from 7 to 11. Nine of the studies included a parental component. Educating parents on self-behavioral monitoring, mentoring, and role modeling are promising components for adolescents self-managing their weight loss.
Conclusion/Implications: This review found that parental components played an important part in sustaining adolescent’s weight loss across time. Effective parental components that helped parents provide support of their child in weight loss and weight loss maintenance included educating parents on positive role modeling of eating and physical activity, motivational techniques, culturally appropriate meal planning, skills enhancing adolescent self-efficacy, assisting adolescent with realistic goal setting, and problem solving. Including parental components, such as the latter, increases support and decreases feelings of segregation that adolescents may acquire when treated separately from the familyWorld Health Organization, 2000). Researchers should evaluate associations between parental support components and changes in adolescent Body Mass Index. By implementing parental components effective in supporting the adolescent that is self-managing weight loss could reduce the global prevalence of obesity among adolescents.