Evaluating Coordination of Care Between Pediatricians and Women Infants & Children (WIC) Nutritionists: Early Obesity Prevention for WIC Mothers and Children

This multi-site, randomized, controlled trial (RCT) will test the hypothesis that an individually tailored responsive parenting obesity prevention intervention that coordinates care provided by WIC nutritionists and primary care providers (PCPs) will be more effective than usual care at 1) delivering consistent messages and 2) changing maternal and infant behavior to 3) reduce/prevent rapid infant growth from birth to 6 months.

Geisinger research staff will recruit mother/infants dyads primarily from newborn nurseries from Geisinger Health Systems hospitals in Central Pennsylvania (PA). Mother-infant dydas may also be recruited directly from newborn well-child visits, prenatal WIC visits, and using social media platforms such as Facebook. Key eligibility criteria include that infants participate in the Special Supplemental Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program and receive clinical care from a participating Geisinger Health Systems pediatrician. Upon eligibility and receiving consent, mother/infant dyads will be randomized to 1 of 2 groups: intervention (coordination of care) or control (Geisinger standard of pediatric care), stratified on infant birth weight, race, and parity. In this study, coordination of care is defined at two levels: (1) PCPs and WIC will deliver the same, consistent messages and (2) providers will communicate with each other on preventive care plans regarding responsive parenting and nutrition education.

The intervention will consist of 3 components: 1) a parent self-assessment and screening survey called Early Healthy Living/Lifestyles (EHL) tool to assess the child's future obesity risk and tailor education; 2) parenting and nutrition education using the Healthy Active Living for Families curriculum (HALF) developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, supplemented by evidence-based materials that teach mothers alternatives to using feeding to manage infant behavior, and establishing good sleep hygiene; and 3) coordination of care between PCPs and WIC nutritionists utilizing HIT. Components 1 and 2 focus on teaching mothers to recognize hunger and fullness signs in their infants, use alternative soothing strategies to feeding, develop good sleep hygiene routines, and engage in active social play.

Once consented and enrolled, all parents receive a welcome packet with brief parenting tips tailored to the group assignment. Intervention participants will also be mailed the responsive parenting curriculum after enrolling that addresses the domains of infant sleep, feeding, soothing and play. Pediatricians who have patients enrolled and randomized to the intervention group will have access to the EHL data in the patient's electronic health record which they then use to record notes about each well child visit. After each well-child visit, these notes including the EHL data will be electronically sent to the child's WIC nutritionist, to be read prior to a WIC nutrition appointment with that client.

Information from the WIC nutritionist appointments, including nutrition counseling codes from each appointment in addition to collected health information will then be sent to the child's pediatrician, to be included as part of the child's electronic health record.