Informing the Parent Component of an Acceptance-Based Behavioral Weight Loss Treatment Program Tailored for Hispanic Adolescents in the El Paso Region

Regarding the clinical efficacy of adolescent weight loss interventions, no agreed-upon definitions or standards for weight loss success exist among pediatric populations, nor do they exist for weight regain or weight maintenance. There are currently no safe, efficacious, long-term treatment options for Hispanic adolescents with overweight or obesity (OW/OB). The purpose of this study was to gather data to inform development of an acceptance-based behavior therapy (ABT) intervention for adolescents with OW/OB in the Paso del Norte region. The primary goal of this research study was to inform the parent component of this adapted intervention. A secondary goal was to inform an ethnically and culturally suitable ABT adolescent weight loss program for the Paso del Norte region. This mixed-methods approach recruited adolescents ages 14-19 years with OW/OB, and their parents, for surveys and interviews. Demographic and health descriptive information were collected from each participant. Survey data and research questions were analyzed by descriptive and bivariate statistics. Interview data was analyzed by qualitative content analysis and thematic analysis. Of the five quantitative questions asked, only parent negative weight-based talk was correlated with adolescent report of their parent’s negative weight-based talk (rs = .475, p = .054). Four themes emerged from parent interviews: need for increased knowledge and practice of healthy eating active living, negative experiences with pediatric providers, challenges perceived as core to family norms, and perceived apathy of adolescents regarding healthy eating, active living, and weight loss. Developing child and adolescent weight loss treatment programs should center on multicomponent methodologies while incorporating strong parent/family interaction. This research study has shown the importance that cultural and ethnic processes play in adapting weight loss treatment programs for adolescents with OW/OB