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Cow Milk Fat Obesity pRevention Trial

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Obesity, Childhood
Interventions
Other: Reduced (1%) fat milk
Other: Whole (3.25%) cow's milk recommendation
Registration Number
NCT03914807
Lead Sponsor
The Hospital for Sick Children
Brief Summary

Cow's milk is a dietary staple for children in North America. Though clinical guidelines suggest children transition from whole (3.25% fat) milk to reduced (1%) fat milk at age 2 years, recent epidemiological evidence supports a link between whole milk consumption and lower adiposity in children. The purpose of this trial is to determine which milk fat recommendation minimizes excess adiposity and optimizes child nutrition and development. CoMFORT will be a parallel group randomized controlled trial among children aged 2 to 4 years participating in the TARGet Kids! practice-based research network. Children will be randomized to receive one of two usual care nutritional recommendations: 1) a recommendation to consume whole milk, or 2) a recommendation to consume reduced (1%) fat milk. The primary outcome is Body Mass Index z-score (zBMI); secondary outcomes will be cognitive development (using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire), vitamin D stores (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D), cardiometabolic health (glucose, hsCRP, non-HDL, LDL, triglyceride, HDL and total cholesterol, insulin, and diastolic and systolic blood pressure) and sugar sweetened beverage intake (measured by 24-hour dietary recall). Outcomes will be measured 24 months post-randomization and compared using ANCOVA, adjusting for baseline measures. This trial will contribute to nutrition policy for children in effort to reduce childhood obesity using a simple, inexpensive and scalable cow's milk fat intervention.

Detailed Description

Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
534
Inclusion Criteria
  • healthy by parental report;
  • 1.5 to 2.99 years of age
  • involved in a TARGet Kids! academic pediatric or family medicine group.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Prader-Willi syndrome or other syndrome associated with obesity
  • severe development delay
  • children who are from families without verbal communication in English or French
  • failure to thrive (with zBMI values ≤ -2 are unlikely to benefit from obesity prevention)
  • siblings of trial participants as families may share milk
  • will not consume cow's milk by choice, lactose intolerance or allergy.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Reduced fat (1%) milkReduced (1%) fat milk-
Whole (3.25%) milkWhole (3.25%) cow's milk recommendation-
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
weightMeasured 24 months post-study entry

kilograms; measured using a Healthometer stadiometer

heightMeasured 24 months post-study entry

metres; measured using a Healthometer statiometer

body mass index z-score (zBMI)Measured 24 months post-study entry

BMI calculated by weight (kg)/height (m\^2); zBMI determined according to the World Health Organization guidelines

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
cognitive developmentmeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)

nutritional riskmeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured using NutriSTEP preschooler

healthcare service utilizationmeasured 24 months post-study entry

information accessed through OHIP linkage

serum 25-hydroxyvitamin DMeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured in nmol/L

serum glucosemeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured in mmol/L

serum insulinmeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured in mmol/L

serum highly sensitive c-reactive proteinmeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured in mg/L

waist circumferencemeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured by a trained research assistant

lean body massmeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured in kg, % body weight

serum triglyceridesmeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured in mmol/L

serum total cholesterolmeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured in mmol/L

serum low density lipoprotein cholesterolmeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured in mmol/L

serum non-high density lipoprotein cholesterolmeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured in mmol/L

height z-scoremeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured by a trained research assistant according to the World Health Organization guidelines

dietary intakemeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured using the Automated Multiple Pass Self Administered 24 hour recall (ASA24) tool

restrained and emotional eatingmeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured using the 3-factor eating questionnaire

blood pressuremeasured 24 months post-study entry

systolic and diastolic

serum high density lipoprotein cholesterolmeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured in mmol/L

physical activity (minutes per day)measured 24 months post-study entry

questionnaire data and accelerometry

growth trajectoriesmeasured 24 months post-study entry

zBMI growth rates

head circumferencemeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured by a trained research assistant

fat massmeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured in kg, % body weight

school readinessmeasured 24 months post-study entry

measured using the Early Development Instrument (EDI); children scoring at or below the 25th percentile of children in their province are considered at risk for continuing on the low achievement and health trajectory, and are more likely to fall behind in academic achievement in later grades

sleep time (hours per night)measured 24 months post-study entry

questionnaire data and accelerometry

carotid intima media thickness (cIMT)measured 24 months post-study entry

measured by ultrasound

upper respiratory tract infection incidencemeasured 24 months post-study entry

information accessed through OHIP linkage

cost effectivenessmeasured 24 months post-study entry

All costs, parameter estimates and ranges will be derived from study data and will be obtained using medical record extraction. Publicly available Ontario costing sources will be used to cost resource utilisation parameters.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

St. Michael's Hospital

🇨🇦

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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