Abstract
This chapter addresses the issue of behavioral interventions to improve regimen adherence, quality of life, and physical health for children who have chronic health conditions. The chapter reviews child and family intervention approaches addressing three common childhood chronic health conditions – obesity, asthma, and diabetes, as well as global prevalence, physiological complications, and related psychosocial issues for each condition. Many intervention studies employ an ecological model and have foundations in social cognitive and/or self-determination theory. Across conditions, interventions have aimed to improve disease management skills, regimen adherence, and psychological and family functioning through various approaches to treatment. While some interventions with older adolescents target personal motivation and self-management, others utilize support from parents, peers, and changes in the school environment or other community settings. Results indicate that a number of evidence-based interventions utilizing educational, behavioral and psychosocial, psychological, peer, and digital technology approaches that incorporate the family are helpful for managing these conditions, as well as improving psychosocial issues associated with them. The concluding section discusses and summarizes the results of intervention studies for these conditions and addresses future research needs. While most of the intervention studies for obesity, asthma, and diabetes reviewed were conducted in the USA, many techniques addressing family relationships, behavior change, coping skills, and social issues may be applicable to children and families worldwide and may generalize to children with other chronic health conditions.