Pediatric obesity has doubled over the past four decades, affecting 19.7% of children in the United States. This chronic, complex condition is shaped by the social determinants of health, particularly among marginalized minorities such as the Hmong community. Obesity not only increases morbidity and mortality but also accounts for 20% of U.S. health expenditures. The objective of this quality improvement project was to develop and implement an obesity education and counseling program for Hmong adolescents aged 13-17 years with obesity in a primary care clinic, incorporating motivational interviewing and culturally sensitive diet counseling to promote healthy eating and physical activity. This project aimed to reduce weight, body mass index, and body mass index percentile, improve adolescents’ self-efficacy, and increase readiness to change. Of the 48 eligible patients, 13 consented to participate and nine completed the six-week program. The program led to a statistically significant weight reduction (p = .0071) and improved confidence in avoiding overeating and engaging in exercise. However, no significant changes were observed in body mass index and body mass index percentile. Motivational interviews and culturally sensitive diet counseling are valuable strategies for addressing pediatric obesity. However, comprehensive and sustained interventions are necessary to improve body composition.
","abstract_html":"<p>Pediatric obesity has doubled over the past four decades, affecting 19.7% of children in the United States. This chronic, complex condition is shaped by the social determinants of health, particularly among marginalized minorities such as the Hmong community. Obesity not only increases morbidity and mortality but also accounts for 20% of U.S. health expenditures. The objective of this quality improvement project was to develop and implement an obesity education and counseling program for Hmong adolescents aged 13-17 years with obesity in a primary care clinic, incorporating motivational interviewing and culturally sensitive diet counseling to promote healthy eating and physical activity. This project aimed to reduce weight, body mass index, and body mass index percentile, improve adolescents’ self-efficacy, and increase readiness to change. Of the 48 eligible patients, 13 consented to participate and nine completed the six-week program. The program led to a statistically significant weight reduction (p = .0071) and improved confidence in avoiding overeating and engaging in exercise. However, no significant changes were observed in body mass index and body mass index percentile. Motivational interviews and culturally sensitive diet counseling are valuable strategies for addressing pediatric obesity. However, comprehensive and sustained interventions are necessary to improve body composition.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Kim, Esther"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Yale University School of Nursing","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Elizabeth Doyle"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:16:14Z","subjects":["Culturally sensitive diet counseling, Motivational interviewing, Pediatric obesity"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/ysndt/1193","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Elizabeth Doyle"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Kim, Esther"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Yale University School of Nursing"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Culturally sensitive diet counseling, Motivational interviewing, Pediatric obesity"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/ysndt/1193"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Pediatric obesity has doubled over the past four decades, affecting 19.7% of children in the United States. This chronic, complex condition is shaped by the social determinants of health, particularly among marginalized minorities such as the Hmong community. Obesity not only increases morbidity and mortality but also accounts for 20% of U.S. health expenditures. The objective of this quality improvement project was to develop and implement an obesity education and counseling program for Hmong adolescents aged 13-17 years with obesity in a primary care clinic, incorporating motivational interviewing and culturally sensitive diet counseling to promote healthy eating and physical activity. This project aimed to reduce weight, body mass index, and body mass index percentile, improve adolescents’ self-efficacy, and increase readiness to change. Of the 48 eligible patients, 13 consented to participate and nine completed the six-week program. The program led to a statistically significant weight reduction (p = .0071) and improved confidence in avoiding overeating and engaging in exercise. However, no significant changes were observed in body mass index and body mass index percentile. Motivational interviews and culturally sensitive diet counseling are valuable strategies for addressing pediatric obesity. However, comprehensive and sustained interventions are necessary to improve body composition.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Obesity Education For Hmong Adolescents With Obesity In Pediatric Primary Care"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Elizabeth Doyle"],"dc:creator":["Kim, Esther"],"dc:description.abstract":["Pediatric obesity has doubled over the past four decades, affecting 19.7% of children in the United States. This chronic, complex condition is shaped by the social determinants of health, particularly among marginalized minorities such as the Hmong community. Obesity not only increases morbidity and mortality but also accounts for 20% of U.S. health expenditures. The objective of this quality improvement project was to develop and implement an obesity education and counseling program for Hmong adolescents aged 13-17 years with obesity in a primary care clinic, incorporating motivational interviewing and culturally sensitive diet counseling to promote healthy eating and physical activity. This project aimed to reduce weight, body mass index, and body mass index percentile, improve adolescents’ self-efficacy, and increase readiness to change. Of the 48 eligible patients, 13 consented to participate and nine completed the six-week program. The program led to a statistically significant weight reduction (p = .0071) and improved confidence in avoiding overeating and engaging in exercise. However, no significant changes were observed in body mass index and body mass index percentile. Motivational interviews and culturally sensitive diet counseling are valuable strategies for addressing pediatric obesity. However, comprehensive and sustained interventions are necessary to improve body composition.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/ysndt/1193"],"dc:subject":["Culturally sensitive diet counseling, Motivational interviewing, Pediatric obesity"],"dc:title":["Obesity Education For Hmong Adolescents With Obesity In Pediatric Primary Care"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Yale University School of Nursing"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T06:16:14Z"}