Exploratory aim
adolescent-, weight loss
Given the dyadic nature of the data, we will explore how parent and adolescent concordance of sex, weight loss, behavioral changes (self-monitoring, dietary intake, physical activity) impacts adolescent weight loss maintenance. We will also explore how the concordance of parent- and adolescent- perceived parenting style and how adolescents’ perception of the non-participating parents’ parenting style (and whether it differs from that of the participating parent) impacts adolescent weight loss maintenance. Specifically, to evaluate concordance, we will group dyads based on differences between the adolescent and the parent on the categorical measures. For concordance of continuous measures, we will first calculate difference scores, subtracting the parent’s score from the adolescent’s score. These scores will be used to create a trichotomous grouping variable distinguishing the dyads by agreement: adolescent above (positive values indicate adolescent scores are greater than parent scores), parent above (negative values indicate parent scores are greater than adolescent scores), and equal. It is highly unlikely that we will have perfect agreement between adolescents and parents on continuous measures, so the equal group will be defined as ±0.5 standard deviations around a difference score of 0. These groups will then be used in linear mixed models. Any measures significantly associated with adolescent weight loss maintenance will be evaluated as potential moderators of associations between treatment group and adolescent weight loss. Although our primary focus is on adolescent weight loss maintenance, the data collected in this study will facilitate additional exploration of dyadic methods for other outcomes, such as the behavioral changes of dietary intake and physical activity, which may inform treatment effectiveness.