Areej Shaikh
Project: The role of family navigation to reduce attrition in managing pediatric obesity
“Growing up in an immigrant family, language barriers and challenges navigating the health-care system hindered the qereuality and continuity of care my family and I received. I entered research with the goal of improving health outcomes for children facing similar barriers… I was surprised this summer by how rich and deeply personal qualitative data can be… Listening to caregivers discuss the challenges they faced in accessing care for their children gave me a clearer picture of who I am doing this work for.”
Summary: Over the past 20 years, many clinics in Canada have been created to help manage obesity in children, bringing together health professionals from different fields. However, because of challenges such as busy schedules, limited time and low motivation, about half of children and their families leave these programs early. This makes it harder for children to improve their health and leads to wasted health-care resources. Children who stay in treatment longer often see better health outcomes, so it is important to find new ways to help families remain in care.
Our study examines whether family navigation (FN) is a practical and acceptable way to reduce dropout in pediatric obesity care. In this pilot randomized controlled trial, trained navigators support children and their families by helping them manage practical, emotional and system-related challenges that make care difficult to access. Navigators offer support, such as parking passes and encouragement to augment the care provided by clinic teams.
Our study includes 108 children aged six to 17 from obesity clinics in Calgary and Mississauga. Half receive FN along with usual care for 12 months, while the other half receive usual care only. We conduct interviews, collect body measurements, and evaluate quality of life and relationships between families, navigators and clinicians at the start of the study, and again at three, six and 12 months.
This study will help us learn whether families accept FN and find it helpful. If FN encourages families to stay involved in care, children may attend more appointments and improve their health. The results will help with the planning of a larger study to test how well FN reduces dropout and supports families living with obesity.
Areej Shaikh was supervised by Dr. Geoff Ball in the Department of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. Her WCHRI summer studentship was funded by the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. She is enrolled in the University of Alberta’s doctor of medicine program.
Read more about WCHRI’s training awards for students at all levels and generous grants for researchers. See the rest of the 2026 summer studentship recipients here.
