Wearable devices decrease attrition among families participating in an obesity intervention at a federally qualified health center

Juan C. Espinoza*, Alexander M. Chen, Alexis Deavenport-Saman, Olga Solomon, Aric Ponce Ba, Abu Sikder Bs, Patricia Castillo, Cary Kreutzer, Larry Yin

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background. Pediatric obesity interventions are time-intensive, reliant on parent engagement and affected by high attrition rates. We evaluated personal activity trackers (PAT) as an attrition intervention for Bodyworks (BW), a comprehensive family-based obesity intervention program in a federally qualified health center. Methods. Families enrolled in BW were recruited and randomized to either a control group (BW only) or intervention group (BW+PAT). Statistical analyses were conducted to examine differences between study arms in baseline characteristics and program completion. Results. One hundred and fifty-eight (158) families enrolled in the study. There were no significant differences between groups at baseline. There was a significant difference in program completion; the intervention group had a greater percent of completion than the control group (78.3% vs 62.1%), p < .027. Conclusions. Parents receiving a PATs demonstrated higher rates of program completion compared with controls. Personal activity trackers hold potential as a method to limit attrition and increase participation in obesity intervention programs.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)13-24
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of health care for the poor and underserved
Volume32
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2021

Funding

The authors would like to thank all the families who made this study possible. We would also like to acknowledge the valuable contributions of Lisa Lopez, Audrey Lai, Alex Wormuth, and Payal Shah. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Award Number R25DK096944, and the Academic Pediatric Association (APA). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors, and does not necessarily represent the official views of NIH or the APA.

Keywords

  • Attrition interventions
  • Federally qualified health center
  • Obesity
  • Pediatrics
  • Wearable devices

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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