Parents and Tots Together: A Family-Based Obesity Prevention Intervention

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Obesity
• Interventions: Behavioral: Parents and Tots Together Program; Behavioral: Control

• Registration Number: NCT02222766
• Lead Sponsor: University of Guelph

Brief Summary

The obesity epidemic has spared no age group, including our youngest children. My and others' formative research shows that ethnically-diverse, low-income parents of young children are enthusiastic about learning general parenting skills, such as discipline strategies, but less interested in nutrition and physical activity. To capitalize on this enthusiasm, I will create and test an intervention that embeds strategies to improve child weight-related behaviors within a general skills parenting program.

The overall goal of this study is to assess Parents and Tots Together (PTT), a family-based intervention to prevent obesity among children age 2 through 5 years. To achieve this goal, my colleagues and I will conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) among ethnically diverse, primarily low-income families. Our specific aims are to:

1. Determine the extent to which the intervention, compared with a control condition, results in a smaller age-associated increase in body mass index (BMI) among children after a 3- month intervention and a 9-month follow-up period (primary outcome).

2. Determine the extent to which the intervention, compared with a control condition, results in:

1. Improved parent general parenting behaviors, i.e., increased use of positive discipline strategies.

2. Improved parent feeding practices, i.e., increased responsiveness to child satiety cues.

3. Improved child weight-related behaviors, i.e., increased sleep duration and physical activity, and reduced sugar-sweetened beverage intake and television/video viewing.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2011-06
• Primary Completion: 2013-10
• Study Completion: 2013-10
• Status Verified: 2014-08
• Study First Submitted: 2014-08-20
• Study First Submitted QC: 2014-08-20
• Last Update Submitted: 2014-08-20
• Study First Posted: 2014-08-21
• Last Update Posted: 2014-08-21

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 112

Inclusion Criteria

• parents who have a child aged 2-5 years
• respond to interviews and questionnaires in English or Spanish

Exclusion Criteria

• any families who plan to move during the study period
• children or parents with severe health conditions that would prohibit them from participating in study activities

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Parents and Tots Together Program	Parents and Tots Together Program	9-week group-based parenting program
Control	Control	Minimal attention control- weekly mailed information on general child development for 9 weeks

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in body mass index (BMI), adjusted for age and gender	baseline, post-intervention, 9-month follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in parental feeding behaviors, i.e., controlling feeding practices	baseline, post-intervention, 9-month follow-up
Change in parent general parenting behaviors, i.e., use of positive discipline strategies.	baseline, post-intervention, 9-month follow-up
Change in child weight-related behaviors, i.e., sleep duration and physical activity, and sugar-sweetened beverage intake and television/video viewing.	baseline, post-intervention, 9-month follow-up

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care; 🇺🇸 Boston, Massachusetts, United States