Promoting healthy body image and eating patterns in young children: Helping parents create positive environments.

The evaluation will be conducted as a randomised controlled trial (RCT), whereby parents will be randomly allocated to one of four groups: Group A, B, C or D. Arm 1: For Group A, parents will receive a copy of the CBCC resource and attend a 2hr, manualised, group information session hosted by the research team and facilitated by trained personnel. Arm 2: For Group B, parents will be mailed a copy of the CBCC resource. They will not be required to attend an information session. The resource includes the A5 70 page Parent Booklet, The Extended Family Booklet, the CBCC website (confidentbody.net), a Do/Don'ts quick reference poster and a children's storybook called "Shapesville". The CBCC resources are evidence-based and design to promote parenting strategies that are protective against, and reduce parenting strategies that are risk factors for, the development of disordered eating, body dissatisfaction and overweight in children. Arm 3: For Group C, parents will be mailed a copy of a standard nutrition information resource 'Happy Healthy Kids for Life'. It is a 23-page A5 booklet for parents developed by dieticians at a community health centre in Melbourne, Australia, and is based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines. It contains information about the nutritional components of child healthy eating and some guidance on parental feeding practices, such as avoiding using food as a reward (instrumental feeding). It does not contain any information about child body image, or how teaching children about healthy eating may impact on the development of body satisfaction. Arm 4: For Group D, parents will only be asked to complete questionnaires. All participants will complete questionnaires at baseline and at three follow-up time points (6 weeks, 6-months and 12-months) To measure fidelity, at 6-week follow-up participants will be asked how much of the resource they read (0-100% sliding scale), whether they used any of the exercises or information in the resource, if they changed their behaviours or attitudes as a result of reading the resource, and what they have done with the resource now (i.e. kept it, thrown it away, lent it to a friend).