Shifting perspectives on the role of parents in the rehabilitation of children with higher body weight: insights from qualitative interviews with children, parents, and professionals

Introduction Overweight and obesity are among the most common chronic diseases and are associated with physical and mental health consequences. Parents of overweight/obese children face additional psychological stress. The treatment of higher body weight should be multidisciplinary and multimodal and should involve parents as was implemented and evaluated in the outpatient rehabilitation program for children with higher body weight. Materials and methods In the qualitative study arm of a controlled, two-arm, mixed-methods study evaluating the effectiveness of outpatient rehabilitation programs for children with higher body weight, the parental role within the rehabilitation program has been explored. Interviews with healthcare professionals and parents and focus groups with children and adolescents have been conducted and analyzed with the framework analysis. Results The analysis of the interviews revealed that parents play a pivotal role in outpatient pediatric rehabilitation as motivators, role models, authority, and mediators in transferring therapeutic skills to daily life. While all groups—children, professionals, and parents—acknowledged the importance of parental involvement, differences emerged in role perceptions, concerning among others control and autonomy. Children expressed both appreciation and need for parental support, as well as a desire for greater self-determination in their parents’ involvement. Conclusion Parents take on different roles in their children's rehabilitation. To enable them to fulfil these roles effectively, rehabilitation facilities should provide appropriate resources and offer individualized parent programs. A comprehensive concept for accompanying and supporting parents during their children's rehabilitation can clarify responsibilities and boundaries and reduce tensions between parents, children, and professionals.