Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
Open access
Peer reviewed
Abstract
Abstract
Objectives This study aimed to explore what motivates parents to address their own weight and support their child to reach or maintain a healthy weight, how parents assess their child’s weight and the impact of a parent addressing their own weight on their child. Methods In this mixed-methods study, Slimming World members (a UK-based adult commercial weight management programme) who had children aged 5–11 years old were invited to complete an online survey and telephone interview. This included parent-reported measures of Body Mass Index (BMI) and their child’s weight status, physical activity and dietary behaviours. Quantitative survey data were summarised descriptively using percentages to identify associations of both parental weight management motivating factors and child weight concerns with parent weight category. Qualitative telephone interview analyses followed an inductive thematic approach. Results Improving health (81%) and dissatisfaction with appearance (81%) were the most common motivators for parents to address their own weight. 67% of parents who were worried about their child’s weight felt more motivated to help their child reach a healthier weight since they had taken steps to address their own weight. Weight-related adverse experiences during the parents’ lives were an important driver to address their child’s weight, as were health concerns. Parents assessed their child’s weight mainly through clothing size and visual comparison with peers rather than weighing. Concern about a child’s weight increased with parental BMI and child age. Since the parents addressed their own weight, 48% reported their child’s diet was healthier, and 27% that their child was more physically active. Conclusion Parents addressing their own weight are particularly motivated to help their child reach or maintain a healthy weight. Targeted, child-oriented interventions at this time may enhance the reported indirect benefits on children.
Direct answer
What can I do from this paper page?
Use this page to scan "Effect of parent attendance at an adult commercial weight management programme on their children" quickly: start with the summary and abstract, then check the authors, source, topics, and related papers. From here, open Scollr to follow Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet research, save the paper, or map adjacent work.
Research areas
Follow related topics
Citation
BibTeX
@article{Mears2026Effect,
title = {Effect of parent attendance at an adult commercial weight management programme on their children},
author = {Ruth Mears and Deborah Sharp and Aidan Searle and Ruth Salway and Julian Hamilton‐Shield},
journal = {BMJ Paediatrics Open},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1136/bmjpo-2025-004417},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2025-004417}
}FAQ
Using this paper in a discovery workflow
How do I find related work for this paper?
Use the related papers and topic links on this page as starting points. In Scollr, you can also open the paper and build a literature map around its references, citing papers, and related work.
How can I keep up with new Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet research papers?
Follow Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet research in Scollr. New papers from the topic flow into a personalized feed, and you can save useful studies to revisit later.
Can I cite this paper from this page?
This page includes a static BibTeX block for Effect of parent attendance at an adult commercial weight management programme on their children. Always verify the DOI, source, and publication details against the publisher record before submitting a manuscript.
Follow this research in Scollr
Follow the topics and authors behind this paper, save useful studies, and build a literature map when you are ready to go deeper.
Get the app