Changes in Parents’ Time Use and Its Relationship to Child Obesity

ABSTRACT

Objective: The aim was to explore any change in parents' time use together with their children, changes in their perceived occupational value, and its relationship to children's body mass index (BMI) over the course of a one-year occupation-focused family intervention. Method: The study sample consisted of participants in one arm of a randomized controlled trial, involving mothers and fathers (n = 30) of 17 children aged 4–6 years who were considered obese. Data were collected by time-geographical diaries during the intervention and by measuring the parents’ occupational value and the children's BMI before and after the intervention. Results: At the end of the intervention, an increase was shown in the amount of time parents spent together with their children during weekdays (p = .042) and the parents perceived occupational value (p = .013). Children's BMI z-score changed with −0.11 units. Conclusion: Collaboration with parents may be useful in interventions aiming at facilitating a normal weight development among children.

KEYWORDS. :

• Childhood obesity
• family health
• health promotion
• human activities
• occupational therapy