Motivational Interviewing for Childhood Obesity: A Strategy for Pediatricians

An intervention with parents modestly reduced mean BMI percentile in children.

Motivational interviewing (MI) is a method of communication that involves techniques of reflective listening, shared decision-making, encouraging autonomy, and dialogue leading to behavior change. Childhood obesity is a common chronic condition that is typically nonresponsive to traditional clinical interventions in primary care settings.

To assess the efficacy of MI in reducing body-mass index (BMI) in obese children, researchers randomized 42 pediatric practices to implement one of two MI interventions or usual care with parents of obese children aged 2 to 8 years. The final patient cohort comprised 457 children (mean age, 5 years; mean BMI percentile, 92). In the MI-based interventions, parents received four counseling sessions from a pri…

Reviewing Author

Martin T. Stein, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardPearson Neuroscience Advisory Board

Speaker’s bureauAmerican Academy of Pediatrics

RoyaltiesElsevier, Inc.

Editorial boardsJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics