Which health promotion strategy is most appropriate for obese adolescents?

Motivational interviewing is particularly effective for obese adolescents as it focuses on enhancing the individual's intrinsic motivation to change. This approach allows healthcare providers to engage adolescents in a collaborative conversation that explores their attitudes, beliefs, and motivations regarding weight management and healthy behaviors. It acknowledges the adolescent's autonomy and encourages them to articulate their own goals, making it more likely that they will commit to making changes in their lifestyle.

This strategy involves empathetic communication and helps to address any ambivalence the adolescent may feel about changing their habits. By fostering a supportive environment, motivational interviewing can lead to more sustainable behavior change compared to other strategies that might impose changes without considering the adolescent's perspective.

Other options, while beneficial in certain contexts, do not engage the adolescent in a manner that addresses their readiness for change as directly as motivational interviewing. Individual-based behavior modification can be effective but may not adequately account for the emotional and social complexities that adolescents face. Parental regulation of meals can exert pressure and might lead to resistance rather than fostering internal motivation. Presentation of video case studies might provide information but lacks the interactive and personalized engagement that motivational interviewing uniquely offers.