Parents of minor children lose less weight during a behavioral weight loss intervention: Findings from the Rural LEAP trial

OBJECTIVE: The transition to parenthood is associated with worsening health behaviors, yet the impact of parental status on successful weight loss has rarely been examined. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of parental status of minor children on weight loss and behavioral adherence in a rural community‐based weight loss intervention. METHODS: Five hundred and twenty‐eight adults (age 21–75 years, body mass index [BMI] 30–45 kg/m(2)) were enrolled in a group‐based weight loss intervention consisting of 16 weekly sessions delivered in face‐to‐face group sessions at Cooperative Extension Service (CES) offices. Participants who were parents with at least one minor child (≤18 years old) in the home were compared to participants with no minor children in the home. Measures included percent weight loss, session attendance, adherence to self‐monitoring, and achieving calorie and physical activity goals. RESULTS: Compared to participants without minor children, parents with minor children lost significantly less weight (7.5% vs. 6.2%, respectively; p = 0.01), and were less likely to lose ≥5% of baseline weight (59.2% vs. 70.2%, respectively; p = 0.02). In addition, parents with minor children attended significantly fewer sessions, had lower adherence to self‐monitoring, and met calorie and step goals less often (all ps < 0.001). The association between parental status and percent weight loss was not significantly moderated by gender of the parent. CONCLUSIONS: Parents of minor children had greater difficulty adhering to intervention goals and lost less weight than participants without minor children. Future research should investigate whether tailoring intervention to meet the unique needs of parents can enhance outcomes, especially given the large segment of the population represented by this group.