HomeStyles-2 for SNAP-Ed families with children in middle childhood: Cluster randomized trial protocol

Abstract

BackgroundChildhood obesity prevention efforts are needed in the United States, especially for families with low income. The purpose of this study is to determine whether HomeStyles-2, a nutrition education and childhood obesity prevention program for families with children in middle childhood (ages 6 to 11 years), motivates parents to re-shape their home environments and weight-related lifestyle practices to be more supportive of meeting national nutrition and physical activity recommendations and weight status of their children more so than those in the control condition. MethodsA research-practice partnership with Florida's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed) program was formed to conduct a cluster randomized trial to evaluate the HomeStyles-2 intervention. SNAP-Ed-eligible individuals who are parents/caregivers of children aged 6–11 living in the study catchment area will be invited to enroll in the study and participate in a six-lesson series using the HomeStyles-2 program or an attention control program. The primary outcome measures related to parent weight-related behaviors will be assessed on the individual level. Linear mixed models with a hierarchical design will be used to assess outcomes of interest. DiscussionThis study has the potential to demonstrate the effectiveness of a new curriculum implemented in a federal nutrition education program. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, adjustments were made to the intervention design to allow for virtual delivery of the intervention through SNAP-Ed. This unanticipated change will offer much-needed research on the effectiveness of virtual nutrition education, which may help to expand SNAP-Ed's reach across the country.Trial registration: NCT05019339.