Clinical Research Facilitators, Barriers, and Preferences of Parents of Children With Overweight and Obesity
Infographic1 min read·Published Jul 2026

Clinical Research Facilitators, Barriers, and Preferences of Parents of Children With Overweight and Obesity

Infographic showing survey results on parental attitudes toward childhood obesity research participation

Infographic · Jul 2026 · 1 min read

In brief

In brief

Survey of 103 parents reveals key facilitators and barriers to enrolling children with overweight/obesity in clinical research, including mistrust, time constraints, and pandemic-related stress. Parents of non-Hispanic White and male children reported higher research mistrust, while lower child BMI correlated with greater perceived benefits of participation.

  • Parents of children with overweight/obesity report more facilitators than barriers to research participation, suggesting receptiveness to trials.
  • Lower child BMI correlates with higher perceived research benefits—families with severe obesity may need targeted engagement strategies.
  • Parents of non-Hispanic White and male children show greater research mistrust, indicating need for culturally tailored recruitment approaches.
  • Pandemic stress increased both social pressure and perceived benefits of participation, highlighting context-dependent motivations.
  • Understanding parent preferences for trial formats (telehealth vs in-person, group vs individual) can reduce burden and improve retention.

Written by the GCMD Library team from the infographic.

A teal and gray infographic with four main sections. The header uses large yellow text on teal background. Icons include a magnifying glass over charts, a checklist, and a bathroom scale. An illustration shows a parent consulting with a healthcare provider. Color blocks in green, purple, and yellow highlight key findings.

Lizzy Lee PA-C

Lim, Crystal S. PhD, ABPP; Patel, Devanshi J. PhD; Casady, Hannah MPH; Sandridge, Shanda DNP, CPNP-AC; Dodd, Cameronne A. MS; Malloch, Lacy BS; Annett, Robert D. PhD

Objective: 
Recruiting, enrolling, and retaining families in pediatric obesity clinical trials is challenging. This study examined perceptions of facilitators and barriers related to clinical research, and preferences of specific research formats, in parents of a child with overweight or obesity. Associations between parental research perceptions and sociodemographic and health factors were also explored.

Method: 
A descriptive, cross-sectional online survey of 103 parents of children 2 to 17 years with overweight or obesity was conducted between May 2021 and March 2022 in the southeastern US. Barriers and facilitators of research participation, child weight status, child COVID-19 health care and parental COVID-19 stress, demographic characteristics (e.g., child age, child gender, child race/ethnicity, family income, geographic location), and preferences for specific research formats (e.g., telehealth, in person, group sessions, individual sessions, COVID-19 testing, single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, and multiple-dose COVID-19 vaccine) were assessed. Linear regression analyses were conducted.

Results: 
Parents endorsed more reasons and benefits for participation than mistrust, social pressure, and reasons against participation. Lower child body mass index was associated with higher perceptions of research participation benefits. Pandemic parental stress was associated with increased social pressure and benefits. Parents of non-Hispanic White and male youth endorsed more mistrust of clinical research.

Conclusion: 
Findings can inform future pediatric overweight and obesity clinical research and trial designs to enable equitable recruitment, reduce participation burden, and increase feasibility and sustainability of interventions.
The text in the image

Clinical Research Facilitators, Barriers, and Preferences of Parents of Children With Overweight and Obesity | Cross-sectional Online survey | 2021-2022 | 103 parents | of children 2-17 years old with overweight or obesity | Explored barriers, facilitators, and research participation preferences | Parents saw more benefits than barriers to participating in research | Research participation was generally viewed positively, with benefits outweighing mistrust or social concerns. | Parents of non-Hispanic White & male children reported greater mistrust of clinical research | Parents of children with lower BMI perceived greater benefits from participating | Conclusion: For better childhood obesity research, we need to make studies easier to join, reduce participation burden, and build trust with families. | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41979151/ | Lim CS et al. | Department of Health Psychology | University of Missouri, Columbia, USA | @LizzyPAC8 | @globalcastmd | @StayCurrentMD | Cincinnati Children's

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