Online

Hanson, Meredith Walker

Nursing

2016

MS

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between HRQOL and adherence to an adolescent weight management program and identify variables predictive of increased adherence which are critical to motivating engagement in weight management. This study was a non-experimental, retrospective secondary analysis from aggregate data collected as part of the REWARD Teens program, a weight management program for overweight and obese adolescents. Data from 37 subjects were included in this study. Subject adherence to the program was the primary outcome variable. There was no significant relationship between baseline adolescent or parent-proxy sub-scale or total HRQOL scores with program adherence. A significant positive relationship for improved adherence was found only when change in BMI (p=.023), change of parent-proxy total PedsQL (p=.014), and change in child total PedsQL (p=.007) were present in the regression model. Body mass index and changes in both parent-proxy and child total HRQOL significantly affected attendance. Our findings suggest that baseline HRQOL does not affect program adherence. However, we identified a potentially novel interplay between variables predictive of program adherence. Future studies should focus on elucidating the mechanism by which these factors gained significance in the relationship with adherence when combined, perhaps as mediators or moderators, in order to identify interactions which may function as barriers or facilitators to adherence.