Two clinical-community interventions-enhanced primary care and enhanced primary care with coaching-are capable of improving parent-reported outcomes and a child's quality of life for childhood obesity.
Two clinical-community interventions—enhanced primary care and enhanced primary care with coaching—are capable of improving parent-reported outcomes and a child’s quality of life for childhood obesity.
A study published in JAMA Pediatrics investigated the effectiveness of clinical-community interventions through a randomized trial with 721 children between the ages of 2 and 12 years with a body mass index (BMI) in the 85th or greater percentile.
The children were divided into 2 intervention groups:
The researchers followed up with the participants after 1 year through the assessment of parent-reported outcomes, the child’s BMI, and the overall quality of life. For the enhanced primary care group, at 1 year, there was a BMI z score improvement of ­—0.07, while the enhanced primary care plus coaching group had a BMI z score improvement of —0.09.
“We found that parent-reported child health-related quality of life improved by 1.53 units among the enhanced primary care plus coaching group and appeared to be driven by large improvements in the psychosocial score of the Pediatric Quality of Life, comparably higher than previous pediatric obesity trials,” the researchers reported.
Despite the lack of significant difference between the 2 intervention groups, both demonstrated an improvement of parental resource empowerment. Furthermore, parents in the enhanced primary care plus coaching group reported improvements in their child’s health-related quality of life.
“These findings suggest that the educational content delivered in both intervention arms related to social and emotional wellness, including content on stress reduction, positive thinking, and bullying, may have driven the observed improvements in child quality of life,” the authors concluded.
The researchers acknowledged the improvements involved with health coaching, but that the effects were not significant enough when involving the child’s BMI compared with enhanced primary care alone.
How Can Employers Leverage the DPP to Improve Diabetes Rates?
February 15th 2022On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Jill Hutt, vice president of member services at the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health, explains the Coalition’s efforts to reduce diabetes rates through the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP).
Listen
Balancing Care Access and Fragmentation for Better Outcomes in Veterans With Diabetes
April 22nd 2021The authors of a study in the April 2021 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® discuss the possible reasons behind the link between care fragmentation and hospitalizations in veterans with diabetes, as well as potential opportunities to address disjointed care in the context of the widespread telehealth uptake seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen
What We’re Reading: ACA Perception; FDA Blood Sugar Warning; AI and Physician Burnout
February 22nd 2024More than half of US adults have a favorable view of the Affordable Care Act (ACA); smartwatches and rings that claim to measure blood sugar levels without piercing the skin could be dangerous and should be avoided; many believe artificial intelligence (AI) could be the solution to physician burnout.
Read More
Advancements in Diabetes Technology: Coverage, Challenges, and Pregnancy Considerations
February 15th 2024Expert interviews highlight advancements and challenges in diabetes care technology, including automated insulin delivery systems and continuous glucose monitors, as well as improvements in insurance coverage.
Read More