1. Determinants of attrition in a pediatric healthy lifestyle intervention: The CIRCUIT program experience
- Author
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Olivier Drouin, Lisa Kakinami, Mélanie Henderson, Marina Ybarra, Prince Kevin Danieles, Tracie A. Barnett, Jean-Luc Bigras, Andraea Van Hulst, and Marie-Eve Mathieu
- Subjects
Parents ,0301 basic medicine ,Gerontology ,Pediatric Obesity ,Patient Dropouts ,Adolescent ,Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism ,Ethnic group ,Psychological intervention ,030209 endocrinology & metabolism ,Disease ,Logistic regression ,Body Mass Index ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Weight management ,medicine ,Humans ,Attrition ,Healthy Lifestyle ,Child ,030109 nutrition & dietetics ,Nutrition and Dietetics ,business.industry ,Attendance ,medicine.disease ,business ,Body mass index - Abstract
Attrition in pediatric weight management programs is notoriously high. Greater understanding of its determinants is needed to inform retention strategies. We identified determinants of attrition in CIRCUIT, a healthy lifestyle intervention program for youth at risk of cardiovascular disease.A one-arm intervention study of children aged 4-18 years who initiated the CIRCUIT program in the first five years of its existence (N = 403). We defined attrition as attending the baseline visit but ceasing attendance prior to the 1-year follow-up. Potential determinants of dropout included the child's age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index (BMI) z-score, family socio-demographic characteristics, and estimated driving time to the program, all measured at baseline. Associations were estimated bivariately, using chi-squared- and t-tests, and simultaneously in a multivariable logistic regression model.Of the 403 participants who started the program, 198 (49%) dropped out within 12 months of enrollment. Youth who dropped out were older (mean age 12.8y vs. 11.3y; p0.01), were less likely to live with both parents (62% vs. 71%; p = 0.05), and to have mothers who had completed high school (79% vs. 88%; p = 0.01). No group differences were observed for sex, ethnicity, baseline BMI z-score, fathers' education, or driving time to the program. In multivariate models, only older age at initiation of the intervention (OR: 1.2; CI: 1.1,1.3) and lower maternal education (OR: 2.0; CI: 1.0,3.8) were associated with dropout.Improved tailoring of interventions to older pediatric participants and to families of lower maternal education may help reduce attrition in CIRCUIT and similar lifestyle intervention programs.
- Published
- 2021