Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids UK, a weight management programme for fathers: feasibility RCT.
Nov 2019 | Tania Griffin, Yongzhong Sun, Manbinder Sidhu, Peymane Adab, Adrienne Burgess, Clare Collins, Amanda Daley, Andrew Entwistle, Emma Frew, Pollyanna Hardy, Kiya Hurley, Laura Jones, Eleanor McGee, Miranda Pallan, Myles Young, Philip Morgan, & Kate Jolly.ABSTRACT
Objective: To assess (1) the feasibility of delivering a culturally adapted weight management programme, Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids United Kingdom (HDHK-UK), for fathers with overweight or obesity in their primary school-aged children, and (2) the feasibility of conducting a definitive randomised controlled trial (RCT).
Design: A two-arm, randomised feasibility trial with a mixed-methods process evaluation.
Setting: Socioeconomically disadvantaged, ethnically diverse localities in West Midlands, UK.
Participants: Fathers with overweight or obesity n their children aged 4-11 years.
Intervention: Participants were randomised in a 1:2 ratio to control (family voucher for a leisure centre) or intervention compromising 9 weekly healthy lifestyle group sessions.
Outcomes: Feasibility of the intervention and RCT was assessed according to prespecified progression criteria: study recruitment, consent and follow-up, ability to deliver intervention, intervention fidelity, adherence and acceptability, weight loss, using questionnaires and measurements at baseline, 3 and 6 months, and through qualitative interviews.
Results: The study recruited 43 men, 48% of the target sample size; the mean body mass index was 30.2 kg/m2 ( SD 5.1); 61% were from a minority ethnic group; and 54% were from communities in the most disadvantaged quintile for socioeconomic deprivation. Recruitment was challenging. Retention at follow-up of 3 and 6 months was 63%. Identifying delivery sites and appropriately skilled and trained programme facilitators proved difficult. Four programmes were delivered in leisure centres and community venues. Of the 29 intervention participants, 20(69%) attended the intervention at least once, of whom 75% attended > 5 sessions. Sessions were delivered with high fidelity. Participants rated sessions as 'good/very good' and reported lifestyle behavioural change. Weight loss at 6 months in the intervention group (n=17) was 2.9kg (95% CI -5.1 to -0.6).
Conclusions: The intervention was well received, but there were significant challenges in recruitment, programme delivery and follow-up. The HDHK-UK study was not considered feasible for progression to a full RCT based on prespecified stop-go criteria.
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