HomeStyles: Shaping Home Environments and Lifestyle Practices to Prevent Childhood Obesity- A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

ObjectiveTo create an effective, sustainable, population-level obesity-prevention intervention that enables and motivates parents of preschoolers to shape their home environment and lifestyle behavioral practices to prevent excessive weight gain in their children and compare its effectiveness to control condition participants.DescriptionIntervention development and implementation was guided by Social Cognitive and Adult Learning Theories, community-based participatory research, and motivational interviewing. The randomized controlled intervention trial is delivered by in-home visitors or online to English and Spanish parents of preschoolers. Focus groups with parents guided development of intervention materials. Cognitive testing with parents was used to refine intervention materials.EvaluationCognitive testing of intervention materials indicated high audience acceptance and satisfaction. Training of home visitation staff delivering the intervention in-home was rated highly satisfactory by staff. Instruments for benchmarking participants and assessing intervention outcomes are valid and reliable. Preliminary time x treatment analyses indicate that, compared to control group parents, experimental group parents had significant improvements in family support for healthy eating, parental modeling of healthy eating behaviors, and self-efficacy for preparing healthy family meals, reducing children’s intake of sugary drinks, helping children get and keep a healthy weight, and teaching children about the selling intent and poor nutritional value of foods advertised on TV. Experimental group parents also reported significantly increased overall quality of life.Conclusions and ImplicationsYear 5 activities which focused on recruiting and retaining participants will be summarized. Parent cognitions and behaviors along with home environments and family lifestyle behaviors that promote healthy child growth and development have the potential to prevent excessive weight gain in preschoolers.FundingUSDA Grant #2011-68001-30170 ObjectiveTo create an effective, sustainable, population-level obesity-prevention intervention that enables and motivates parents of preschoolers to shape their home environment and lifestyle behavioral practices to prevent excessive weight gain in their children and compare its effectiveness to control condition participants. To create an effective, sustainable, population-level obesity-prevention intervention that enables and motivates parents of preschoolers to shape their home environment and lifestyle behavioral practices to prevent excessive weight gain in their children and compare its effectiveness to control condition participants. DescriptionIntervention development and implementation was guided by Social Cognitive and Adult Learning Theories, community-based participatory research, and motivational interviewing. The randomized controlled intervention trial is delivered by in-home visitors or online to English and Spanish parents of preschoolers. Focus groups with parents guided development of intervention materials. Cognitive testing with parents was used to refine intervention materials. Intervention development and implementation was guided by Social Cognitive and Adult Learning Theories, community-based participatory research, and motivational interviewing. The randomized controlled intervention trial is delivered by in-home visitors or online to English and Spanish parents of preschoolers. Focus groups with parents guided development of intervention materials. Cognitive testing with parents was used to refine intervention materials. EvaluationCognitive testing of intervention materials indicated high audience acceptance and satisfaction. Training of home visitation staff delivering the intervention in-home was rated highly satisfactory by staff. Instruments for benchmarking participants and assessing intervention outcomes are valid and reliable. Preliminary time x treatment analyses indicate that, compared to control group parents, experimental group parents had significant improvements in family support for healthy eating, parental modeling of healthy eating behaviors, and self-efficacy for preparing healthy family meals, reducing children’s intake of sugary drinks, helping children get and keep a healthy weight, and teaching children about the selling intent and poor nutritional value of foods advertised on TV. Experimental group parents also reported significantly increased overall quality of life. Cognitive testing of intervention materials indicated high audience acceptance and satisfaction. Training of home visitation staff delivering the intervention in-home was rated highly satisfactory by staff. Instruments for benchmarking participants and assessing intervention outcomes are valid and reliable. Preliminary time x treatment analyses indicate that, compared to control group parents, experimental group parents had significant improvements in family support for healthy eating, parental modeling of healthy eating behaviors, and self-efficacy for preparing healthy family meals, reducing children’s intake of sugary drinks, helping children get and keep a healthy weight, and teaching children about the selling intent and poor nutritional value of foods advertised on TV. Experimental group parents also reported significantly increased overall quality of life. Conclusions and ImplicationsYear 5 activities which focused on recruiting and retaining participants will be summarized. Parent cognitions and behaviors along with home environments and family lifestyle behaviors that promote healthy child growth and development have the potential to prevent excessive weight gain in preschoolers. Year 5 activities which focused on recruiting and retaining participants will be summarized. Parent cognitions and behaviors along with home environments and family lifestyle behaviors that promote healthy child growth and development have the potential to prevent excessive weight gain in preschoolers.