3429.0 The Role of Parents in Raising Healthy Children

Monday, November 5, 2007: 4:30 PM
Oral
For many health problems among children, researchers are beginning to focus more attention on the role of parents as a means to reduce risk and improve the overall health behaviors of youth. For instance, research has identified the importance of parental communication in adolescents' sexual behavior. Research has also shown that when parents monitor their children, foster a strong emotional bond and communicate openly with their children about sexuality, children delay sexual activity and use contraception more effectively when they become sexually active. However, few parent-child communication interventions have been sufficiently evaluated to indicate the best ways to help parents improve these behaviors. Similarly, in order to combat the childhood overweight epidemic, it is essential that effective dialogue occurs between health care providers and African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian parents. Providers usually focus their communication with mothers, but fathers have an underappreciated role. In some instances, parents’ behaviors may influence child behaviors and thus influence perceptions on generally health related quality of life issues. This session will discuss various aspects of the role of parenting in improving the health of children.
Session Objectives: At the end of the session, the participant will be able to: (1) Identify unique tools to measure varied parent peer education program activities; (2) Be able to describe strategies that encourage the fathers’ participation in specific interventions to promote healthy lifestyles for their children and prevent childhood overweight or obesity; (3) Discuss parent health behaviors and their association with child health behaviors.
Moderator:

4:30 PM
Teaching parents about sexuality communication with their children: Findings from a multi-method evaluation
Amanda Perez, MPH, Randa L. Dean, MPH, Jennifer Thibodeau, Sandra Langley, PhD and Sarah Picard Bradley, MS
5:00 PM
Parents' prescription for providers: What fathers are saying about preventing childhood overweight
Lisa M. Lowenstein, MPH RD, Maihan B. Vu, DrPH, MPH, Lisa Pullen-Davis, PhD, MSPH, Eliana Perrin, MD, MPH, Melida Colindres, MPH, Diane Berry, PhD, CANP and Alice Ammerman, DrPH, RD
5:15 PM
Confirmatory factor analysis: Revising a parenting outcome expectancy scale for sexually related discussions with adolescents
Lara DePadilla, MS, Nicola Christofides, MPH, Frances McCarty, PhD and Colleen DiIorio, PhD, RN
5:30 PM
Child and parent factors associated with childhood overweight
Margaret O'Neil, PT, PhD, MPH, Patricia A. Shewokis, PhD, Rachel John, MPH, Kathleen Falkenstein, PhD, RN, CNP and McKenzie Medeiros

See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement and author's information.

Organized by: Public Health Education and Health Promotion
Endorsed by: Maternal and Child Health

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing