What Can We Learn About Family-Based Obesity Treatment From Family Therapists?

The current gold standard of pediatric obesity treatment involves a family-based approach and behavioral modification, as posited by the 2007 American Academy of Pediatrics Expert Committee1 and others.2-4 However, pediatricians implementing family-based approaches typically have experience in dyadic interactions, with a child and a parent, and not entire families. Effective therapies, such as Motivational Interviewing,5 were initially utilized in areas outside of obesity, and adapted for use in weight management settings with families.6 Similarly, weight management clinicians could gain valuable insight from those experienced in family therapy, but not necessarily weight management. The goal of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of perceptions and methods of family therapists outside the field of weight management. We sought to determine which theoretical models guide their treatment and explore successful approaches to engage and retain patients to inform future interventions for pediatric obesity treatment.