Peer-reviewed article
Who Benefited Most? Identifying Parent-Child Dyads With Improved Weight Outcomes in the Feel4Diabetes Study.
Vitoratou DI, Karaglani E, Argyropoulou M, Dimakopoulou K, Iotova V et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001The Feel4Diabetes study examined which parent-child pairs benefited most from a family-based weight management intervention across six European countries. After two years, only 5.3% of high-risk families achieved meaningful weight improvements in both parent and child. Intervention participation and living in high-income countries under austerity measures increased the likelihood of success, while girls improved more than boys and families with employed mothers were less likely to succeed.
Key points
- 5.3% of 2402 high-risk families achieved clinically meaningful weight improvements in both parent and child after 2 years
- Intervention group participation increased odds of dyadic improvement by 2.56 times
- Residing in high-income countries under austerity measures was associated with higher odds of improvement (OR=2.44)
- Girls were significantly more likely to improve than boys
- Full-time maternal employment was associated with lower odds of dyadic weight improvement
Limitations
The study reports which families improved but does not explain the underlying mechanisms for disparities in outcomes or provide guidance on how to enhance success rates for underperforming groups. The very low overall success rate (5.3%) limits conclusions about intervention effectiveness.
Abstract
Background Family-based interventions offer a promising solution to the pressing global health concern of childhood obesity by addressing the interconnected behaviours of parents and children. Nevertheless, limited evidence identifies which families benefit most when outcomes are evaluated at the parent-child dyad level. Aim To identify which parent-child dyads experienced clinically meaningful improvements in weight status over 1- and 2-year periods within the Feel4Diabetes study, a school- and community-based intervention targeting European families at risk for Type 2 diabetes. Methods Data were drawn from 2402 high-risk families across six European countries. For participants with overweight/obesity, improvement meant ≥ 5% parental weight loss and a ≥ 0.15-unit child BMI-z reduction. Multiple logistic regression models identified socio-demographic and contextual predictors of dyadic improvement. Results After 2 years, 5.3% of families achieved improvements in both parent and child. Significant predictors of dyadic success included intervention group participation [OR = 2.56 (95% CI: 1.31-5.03)] and residing in high-income countries under austerity measures [OR = 2.44 (1.00-6.02)]. Girls were more likely to improve than boys, while full-time maternal employment was associated with lower odds of dyadic improvement. Conclusions Sustained benefits were observed in a subset of families, highlighting the need for tailored, context-sensitive family-centred obesity prevention strategies.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Feel4Diabetes school- and community-based family intervention targeting parent-child dyads
- Population