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. 2012 Dec 17;5(2):111–122. doi: 10.5539/gjhs.v5n2p111

Table 1.

Abbreviated semi-structured focus group guide for parents

PART I: Parental Perceptions of CHAMP
Saturday Sessions: The first few questions I am going to ask you will focus on the Saturday education sessions.
Aside from nutrition (which we will talk about in a moment), what did you find most valuable from the Saturday sessions? What did you find the least helpful? Why?
What, if anything, is different about parenting for you now since attending CHAMP?
How does what you’ve learned at CHAMP about health and parenting make you feel? (i.e., ability, confidence, knowledge)
How do you use what you have learned during these family sessions at home?
• Probe: How have your families responded?
Nutrition: The next few questions will focus on the nutrition portion of the CHAMP Saturday sessions.
What did you find most helpful/useful about the nutrition part of the program? Why? What did you find the least helpful? Why?
In what ways do you use what you’ve learned about nutrition at home?
• Probe: How have your families responded?
Self-Esteem: For the next set of questions, I would like you to think about how CHAMP has influenced that way that you feel and act towards yourself and your family.
Since coming to CHAMP, what (if anything) is different about how you treat yourself? Your family?
• Probe: Could have to do with physical activity, healthy eating
What have you learned about yourself? About your family?
Cohesion: The following questions focus on your relationships with the other CHAMP parents and guardians.
In what ways did you interact with other parents or families during CHAMP?
• Probe: Was this helpful? Why or why not?
What kind of contact (if any) have you had with the other CHAMP families since CHAMP ended?
• Probe: How often? What types of things did you do/discuss?
General:
What would you say is the single most important thing that you learned at CHAMP?
How are you going to incorporate what you’ve learned at CHAMP into your family life now that CHAMP is finished?
What (if anything) would you like to see more of in future CHAMP parent education sessions? Less of?

PART II: Parental Perception of the Impact on their Children
Now I am going to ask you some questions about your children and how you think CHAMP has impacted them.
Physical Activity:
What is different about physical activity for your child now since coming to CHAMP?
• Probe: What have you noticed about how your child views physical activity now?
• Probe: How do you think your child will manage to sustain his or her new behaviours in the home environment now that CHAMP is finished?
How do you think he or she feels about being more physically active?
• Probe: What would you say that he/she liked best about the physical activity part of the program (i.e., activities? Least?)
Nutrition:
What is different about nutrition and eating for your child now since coming to CHAMP?
In what ways has your child applied what he/she has learned about nutrition at home?
• Probe: How do you think your child will manage to sustain his or her new eating behaviours in the home environment now that CHAMP is finished?
In what ways has your child applied what he/she has learned about nutrition at school?
In what ways (if any) do you as a family plan to eat differently at home now that CHAMP is finished?
Self-Esteem:
What is different about how your child feels about him/herself since coming to CHAMP?
• Probe: Can you give an example of that? What is different about how your child treats him/herself since coming to CHAMP?
• Probe: Can you give an example of that? What has your child learned about him/herself?
Cohesion:
What types of supports and/or barriers do you feel the children provided one another during CHAMP?
• Probe: Do you anticipate that these will continue now that CHAMP is finished?
In what ways do you think that being part of a team and participating in team games at CHAMP impacted your child?
• Probe: How did being involved in the CHAMP “group” make your child feel?
What kind of contact (if any) did your child have with other CHAMP campers outside of camp while CHAMP was running?
• Probe: Do you feel that it is important for the children to have contact with other campers outside of CHAMP?
What kind of contact does your child have with other CHAMP campers now? What types of things do they do?
LAST QUESTION: At the start of CHAMP, how did you feel about being involved in a program targeting overweight children?
How do you think your child felt?
• Did these feelings remain the same, or did they change over the course of the program? In what ways?
• Is there anything else about CHAMP that we haven’t discussed that you would like to add?