Pediatric Obesity
Conditions
Keywords
Overweight, Obesity, Prevention, Children, Childcare, Physical Activity, Nutrition, Wellness, Environment, Intervention, Feeding
Brief summary
Pediatric obesity, a defining health problem of the century, leads to long-term health disparities. This application evaluates strategies to prevent health disparities early in life by developing environmental wellness-related interventions focused on child-care center staff and families. Childcare centers provide an excellent opportunity to build healthy dietary and physical activity lifestyle habits and avoid the rapid weight gain that leads to health disparities. Building on a statewide survey among childcare centers and a pilot evaluation of an environmental intervention, this 3-cell randomized trial evaluates the impact of a staff-led wellness intervention and a staff-led and family-focused intervention, against a control condition.
Detailed description
The intervention trial will be conducted in 48-55 childcare centers throughout Maryland, enrolling 864 children age 30-54 months from childcare centers serving low-income families. The aims are: 1. to examine the impact of the wellness intervention individually and combined with the family intervention versus control on BMI z-score, food preferences and knowledge, and physical activity among children 2. to examine the sustainability of the interventions 3. to examine whether changes in outcomes measures for children's BMI z-score, gross motor skills, food preferences and knowledge, and physical activity are mediated by changes in the childcare staff wellness-related attitudes and behaviors and/or parent wellness-related attitudes and behaviors (exploratory). Findings from the trial will inform programs and policies in childcare centers to prevent obesity and reduce disparities, and will be disseminated locally, regionally, and nationally through conferences, information briefs, social media, and peer-reviewed journal articles. The overall objective is to promote statewide strategies that reduce pediatric obesity and the long-term health disparities.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALCHAMP
The CHAMP only group intervention is based on Food Friends & Mighty Moves, a nutritional program designed to introduce new foods over the course of 12 weeks to preschoolers to create positive eating experiences. In conjunction with the nutritional program, the intervention also consists of an 18 week physical activity program designed to develop gross motor skills.
BEHAVIORALCHAMP+
The CHAMP+ component is comprised of a curriculum of parenting, wellness, physical activity, and feeding in the home environment. The CHAMP+ intervention will span over the course of the CHAMP intervention.
Sponsors
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
University of Maryland, Baltimore
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
FACTORIAL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Masking description
One third of recruited childcare centers (control) will not receive any intervention (CHAMP nor CHAMP+). The remaining two-thirds of the recruited centers will receive the CHAMP intervention, of those, one third will also receive the CHAMP+ parenting intervention.
Intervention model description
The investigators will examine the impact of the teacher-led CHAMP intervention individually and combined with a CHAMP+ parenting intervention versus control on child BMI z-score, food tasting, food preferences and knowledge, gross motor skills, and physical activity.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Preschooler 30-54 months * Caregiver and childcare staff must be at least 18 years old * Childcare center staff members willing to participate * Licensed childcare centers serving low-income communities * Children attending participating childcare centers (at least 3 days per week)
Exclusion criteria
* Caregivers and staff who do not speak or read English * Childcare staff and preschoolers with health problems that would interfere with participation in physical activities
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change of BMI Z-score for preschoolers | Baseline to 6 month (Midline) Follow-up or 1 year (Post Intervention) Follow-up | Measured weight and height for the preschoolers, calculated as age and gender-specific BMI Z-score |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change of Physical Activity for preschoolers and childcare center staff | Baseline to 6 month (Midline) Follow-up or 1 year (Post Intervention) Follow-up | Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) based on anthropometrics |
| Change in Gross Motor Skills | Baseline to 6 month (Post Intervention) Follow-up or 1 year (Delayed Intervention) Follow-up | Measured by Test of Gross Motor Development-2 |
| Change in Preschoolers to try new foods | Baseline to 6 month (Post Intervention) Follow-up or 1 year (Delayed Intervention) Follow-up | Measured by Food Neophobia Scale (Caregiver report) |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed