Introduction
CHILDHOOD OBESITY
The effects of childhood obesity are serious and enduring [To improve parent engagement in family-based childhood obesity prevention and control programs, it is crucial to determine factors that affect it. Despite a wealth of previous family-based programs [Engagement in family-based programs require, by definition, time and family support to participate. Parents frequently report that logistical challenges, including scheduling conflicts, competing priorities, and transportation issues impede their participation [Other factors that may influence engagement pertain to parent motivation and expectations. Parents who exhibit high degrees of motivation to participate and readiness to make health-related behavioral changes are often more likely to engage in the program [The study of parent engagement is further complicated by the involvement of another factor— the participating child. Previous research suggests parents with older children are less likely to engage in programs [While previous research has identified several potential predictors of parent engagement, few comprehensive, theoretically driven, prospective examinations have been conducted, leaving a gap in understanding how to intervene. This study prospectively examined potential predictors of parent engagement in a family-based childhood obesity prevention and control intervention conducted in Imperial County, California. It is hypothesized that personal characteristics of the parent ( receipt of public financial or food assistance, older age, married, lower BMI) and child ( younger age, lower BMI), as well as psychosocial factors ( greater readiness to change, greater perceived relevance of the intervention, better family functioning, lower perceived participation barriers, and less frequent parent and child psychological symptoms) will be predictive of greater engagement. It is also hypothesized that the predictors of engagement may differ by child baseline BMI classification. The results of this study will be important to inform development of strategies to improve engagement.