Description of Content Sessions
adolescent-reported, weight loss
Each content session involved behavior-specific content, a check-in on barriers to autonomy-supportive parenting, introduction of a new positive parenting practice, a worksheet to practice parenting skills, conversation practice with a brief video and worksheet, and the development of an action plan for the upcoming week. The behavior-specific content included information about why the behavior was important for weight loss and current guidelines, as well as tailored feedback about their adolescent children’s progress with that behavior since starting the web-based program. Information and feedback were tailored around the parents’ personal and cultural values and the adolescents’ previously reported motivation for behavior change.Next, parents reported their current barriers to implementing autonomy-supportive parenting (eg, “What gets in the way of you being autonomy supportive?”) and received tailored feedback, which was based on parent-reported barriers to communication, parent- and adolescent-reported communication, the parents’ cultural views, and the adolescents’ report of perceived social support around health behaviors from their parents. Parents were then introduced to the new positive parenting strategy, including a definition and when or how to use it. Parents completed a worksheet to practice implementing the strategy (eg, reframing the controlling language with an autonomy-supportive language). They then watched a brief video with a parent-adolescent dyad (tailored to match the race and sex of the participant and their adolescent) that provided a real example of how to implement the parenting strategy in a conversation about the targeted behavior (Example script from brief video demonstrating conversation practice (positive parenting practice paired with discussion of a weight-related behavior).After watching the video, parents completed a conversation worksheet and set an action plan for the upcoming week, which was tailored based on whether it was a behavior that required change or maintenance, parent- and adolescent-reported communication, parents’ views on gender roles and cultural values, and adolescents’ personal values. The goal of the conversation worksheet was to prepare parents to talk to their adolescent children about the target behavior (eg, “Why would your child want to work on this behavior?” “What is going well with this behavior?” and “What has been difficult?”) and implement the positive parenting strategy (eg, “How will you show them you are listening?” and “How will you monitor your child’s progress in an autonomy-supportive way?”). The worksheet included a printable page with discussion prompts and space for notes to guide the conversations with their adolescent children.