The Effectiveness of a Parent-Focused Behavioral Intervention on the Consumption of Industrial Snacks among Overweight and Obese Children Aged 4–6 Years

Bidgolian , Mohammad Reza; Jahan, Faezeh; Sabahi, Parviz; Asadzadeh, Hassan

Volume 15 - Articles-1404 MEJDS (2025) 15: 68 | Back to browse issues page

Ethics code: IR.IAU.SEMNAN.REC.1403.005

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Bidgolian M R, Jahan F, Sabahi P, Asadzadeh H. The Effectiveness of a Parent-Focused Behavioral Intervention on the Consumption of Industrial Snacks among Overweight and Obese Children Aged 4–6 Years. MEJDS 2025; 15 (0) :68-68
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-3640-en.html

The Effectiveness of a Parent-Focused Behavioral Intervention on the Consumption of Industrial Snacks among Overweight and Obese Children Aged 4–6 Years

Mohammad Reza Bidgolian¹

, Faezeh Jahan ^*²

, Parviz Sabahi³

, Hassan Asadzadeh⁴

1- PhD Student, Department of Educational and Psychological Services, Semnan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran
2- Assistant Professor, Department of Educational and Psychological Services, Semnan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran
3- Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
4- Full Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract: (341 Views)

Abstract
Background & Objectives: In recent years, the prevalence of childhood obesity has risen at an alarming rate, raising serious concerns about the physical and mental health of future generations. Shifts in dietary patterns over the past decades have led to the replacement of nutrient-rich foods with low-nutrient, high-calorie snacks. Given that parents, especially mothers, play a central role in shaping the home food environment, modeling healthy eating, and managing health-related behaviors in children, parent-focused interventions are strongly supported by both theory and empirical evidence. Behavioral approaches that incorporate training, reinforcement, and fair contracting not only help reduce the consumption of unhealthy snacks but also enhance parental self-efficacy and sustain behavioral changes in children. Consequently, conducting such studies is essential for developing culturally adapted, practical, and feasible interventions grounded in behavioral psychology principles. Accordingly, this study examined the effectiveness of a parent-focused behavioral intervention in reducing the consumption of industrial snacks among overweight and obese children aged 4–6 years.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest with a two-month follow-up design and a control group. The study population consisted of mothers of overweight and obese children aged 4–6 years residing in Tehran, Iran, in 2024. A total of 30 mothers were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 participants each). The sample size was calculated using PASS 2021 software, with a significance level of 0.05, an estimated standard deviation of 0.2, a statistical power of 80%, and a predicted attrition rate of 10%, resulting in 15 participants per group. The inclusion criteria were as follows: having a child aged 4–6 years who was overweight or obese, providing informed consent, the child consuming at least two industrial snacks daily, the mother being the primary caregiver (with no more than one additional caregiver), access to the "Bale" messaging application for communication, and the mother having at least a high school diploma. The exclusion criteria included the child having binge eating disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or oppositional defiant disorder (based on clinical interview and DSM criteria), unwillingness to continue participation, or absence from more than two sessions. To diagnose obesity or overweight in children, defined cut-off points of body mass index and the CDC2000 standard reference were used. A researcher-made checklist was also used to assess the frequency of industrial snack consumption in children. The parent-focused behavioral intervention was delivered to the experimental group in eight weekly 60-minute sessions, while the control group received no intervention. Posttest assessments were conducted immediately after the intervention, and follow-up measurements were taken two months later. The frequency of children's industrial snack consumption was measured as the average number of snacks consumed during the week preceding the pretest, posttest, and follow-up. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post-hoc tests in SPSS version 24 at a significance level of 0.05.
Results: The results showed that the effects of group (p<0.001), time (p<0.001), and the interaction of group and time (p<0.001) on the variable of industrial snack consumption were significant. Additionally, in the experimental group, the consumption of industrial snacks by children decreased significantly from the pretest to the posttest (p<0.001). Comparison of the posttest with the 2-month follow-up also revealed that the reduction in consumption remained stable over time, with no significant difference observed between these two stages (p=0.215).
Conclusion: Parent-focused behavioral interventions that actively engage parents offer an effective strategy for reducing industrial snack consumption in overweight and obese preschoolers. This approach not only promotes healthier eating patterns within families but is also practical, transferable, and adaptable for use in home environments.

Keywords: Overweight, Industrial snacks, Obesity, Parent-focused behavioral intervention

Full-Text [PDF 301 kb] (101 Downloads)

Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Psychology

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