Can the Internet Be Used to Reach Parents for Family-Based Childhood Obesity Interventions?

Objective. This study aimed to identify socioeconomic correlates of computer/Internet use among parents of overweight preschool-aged children. Methods. A total of 470 baseline participants in a trial to prevent obesity in children 2 to 6.9 years old with body mass index ≥95th percentile or 85th to 95th percentile with one overweight parent were studied. Interviews with parents used Health Information National Trends Survey questions. Results/conclusions. Overall, 94% of the participants had home computers and 93% reported Internet usage. In adjusted models, parents with ≤college degree (odds ratio = 4.8; 95% confidence interval = 1.2-18.3) or with household income ≤$50 000 (odds ratio = 7.6; 95% confidence interval = 2.2-26.8) had decreased likelihood of computer ownership. Of parents who reported going online, 63% used Internet to look for health/medical information for themselves and 42% for their children. Parents with ≤a college degree or with body mass index 2were less likely to use Internet. Results support using the Internet for early childhood obesity prevention with enhanced outreach efforts for low socioeconomic status families.