Abstracts

Objectives

Naturopathic medicine has demonstrated efficacy at reducing risk factors for chronic disease. Targeting health behaviors of parents and caregivers in a group-based setting may improve the behaviors of children in their care. This study sought to assess the feasibility of such a program.

Design

Participants of a six-session health education series were invited to respond to surveys and participate in a focus group about their health behaviors and their experience in the program.

Subjects

Caregivers of children aged 0–6 attending publicly funded community centers in Ontario, Canada.

Interventions

A 6-week group-based naturopathic education program to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors among caregivers.

Outcome measures

Satisfaction with content and delivery, and frequency of healthy behaviors.

Results

The majority of responses indicated satisfaction with the program, and an ongoing benefit 6 weeks and more after completion. There was a clear correlation between healthy behaviors of parents and children.

Conclusions

A group-based naturopathic education program may be a feasible method of delivering primary-prevention education to caregivers, particularly in the domains of practicality and acceptability.