Parent-perceived barriers to child weight management: Measure validation in a clinical sample.

Although families face many barriers to obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight status for children, there remains a lack of psychometrically sound tools to assess perceived barriers. The Barriers to Child Weight Management (BCWM) scale quantitatively assesses parents' perceptions of barriers to engaging in positive weight-related behaviors but has not been validated within a clinical sample. The present study sought to validate the BCWM scale among parents of children presenting to a tertiary pediatric weight management clinic. Participants included 258 parents of children aged 6-18 years presenting to a tertiary care behavioral weight management program. Parents completed the BCWM prior to the initial clinic visit. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the previously identified 4-factor structure within a clinical sample. Overall model fit was good with the addition of 2 theoretically appropriate model respecifications, χ2(144) = 278.60, p < .001, comparative fit index = .90, root mean square error of approximation = .05, standardized root mean square residual = .06. The BCWM is a promising tool to assess parental perceptions of barriers to healthy weight-related behaviors among youth presenting for clinical weight management intervention. Incorporation of this measure into pediatric weight-management appointments may aid in quickly identifying points of intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Citation

Katherine E Darling, Elizabeth B Ruzicka, Amy J Fahrenkamp, Geoffrey E Putt, Amy F Sato. Parent-perceived barriers to child weight management: Measure validation in a clinical sample. Families, systems & health : the journal of collaborative family healthcare. 2020 Jun;38(2):130-138

Mesh Tags

PMID: 32297759

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