Parental Perceptions of Medication Use for the Treatment of Obesity in Youth

• Published in: Childhood obesity Vol. 19; no. 6; pp. 428 - 433
• Main Authors: Smith, Julia, Hegedus, Elizabeth, Naguib, Monica, Goldman, Victoria, Moss, Lilith, Vidmar, Alaina P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers 01.09.2023
• Subjects: Adolescent; Brief Reports; Child; Ethnicity; Female; Hispanic or Latino; Humans; Male; Parents; Pediatric Obesity - drug therapy; Surveys and Questionnaires; weight management; adolescents; antiobesity medications; obesity; pediatrics
• ISSN: 2153-2168; 2153-2176; 2153-2176
• DOI: 10.1089/chi.2022.0088

This survey-based study identified views on antiobesity medications in youth referred to a weight management program. One parent completed a 14-item Research Electronic Data Capture (REDcap) survey regarding openness to medication use in youth with obesity at their first visit in a weight management program. Medical data were extracted from the medical records of all responders. Ninety-four percent (116/125) of parents approached completed the survey (youths' demographic: mean age = 14.1 years old, 46.8% female, 68.8% Hispanic). Results indicate that 75% of parents surveyed were open to medication use. There was no difference in sex, age, insurance, severity of obesity, or family history between parents who were and were not open to medication (all  > 0.05). Hispanic ethnicity was associated with greater openness to medication use (odds ratio: 3.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.4-8.5,  = 0.007). These results highlight the importance of parental perceptions of medication use for obesity treatment and suggest a need for improved education about the role of medication in the management of pediatric obesity.