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.
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