How Do Interpersonal Relationships Affect Children's Weight Management? A Qualitative Analysis of Parents' Long-Term Perceptions after Obesity Treatment.

Abstract

Background: Childhood obesity interventions are particularly effective during the preschool age, but little is known about parents' long-term perceptions of weight management. This study explores how parents perceive the influence of interpersonal relationships on their children's eating and physical activity 4 years after participating in a randomized controlled trial. Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory frames this study, with the child's environment conceptualized as interlocking microsystems that affect weight management. Methods: Interviews were conducted with 33 parents (85% mothers, 48% with university degree) of 33 children [mean age 9.3 (standard deviation 0.7), 46% girls] from Stockholm, Sweden. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis, focusing on parents' perceptions of interpersonal relationships: family, relatives, other children, preschool/school staff, and health care practitioners. Results: Two main themes were developed: (1) Discouragement, with the subthemes Conflicting rules and Social comparison, and (2) Support and understanding, with the subthemes Teamwork and Shared responsibility and continuity of care. Parents perceived children's weight management as a continuous orchestration of different influences across social spheres. Years after obesity treatment, parents struggled to maintain the child's healthy routines outside the home. However, when siblings, grandparents, teachers, and friends' parents acted supportively, routines were easier to maintain. Conclusions: The findings suggest that each microsystem in a child's environment has important influence on weight management, such that, as children grow older, children's lifestyles cannot be managed by parents alone. To facilitate weight management, more people in the child's environment should be involved early in the treatment process, and continued professional support should be offered to parents.