The JOIN for ME program, developed as a collaboration between United Health Group and Y-USA, is a pediatric weight management intervention that can be delivered in community settings, with potential for national dissemination. Consistent with empirically supported family-based interventions, the JOIN for Me program includes strong parental involvement, use of effective behavioral strategies such as self-monitoring, and intervention targets that focus on reducing consumption of energy dense, nutrient poor foods and beverages, decreasing sedentary behavior, and increasing physical activity.

We will package the JOIN for ME program to increase acceptability and feasibility for delivery in low-income communities and test implementation in two novel settings: the housing authority and the patient-centered medical home. The revised JOIN for ME package will be tested in a rigorous implementation study, the goals of which are to: 1) examine key implementation metrics of program acceptability, feasibility, fidelity, reach, and cost through comprehensive assessment of process measures, qualitative data, and cost analyses and 2) evaluate patient outcomes, including changes in child and parent weight status and health-related quality of life (HRQL). A total of 128 children (ages 6-12 years) with BMI > 85th% from low-income families and a primary caregiver will be enrolled to participate in the JOIN for ME program offered through one of four settings using a delayed treatment onset design. We will evaluate a series of implementation outcomes to examine constructs of reach, acceptability, and feasibility through process measures and multiinformant qualitative interviews.