Developing a Preschool Obesity Intervention for Families Enrolled in WIC
Condition: Pediatric Obesity
MeSH terms: Obesity; Pediatric Obesity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of this study is to examine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary
      efficacy of a community and home-based preschool obesity intervention for families enrolled
      in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
    

Detailed description: 
      Very few studies have targeted weight control in preschoolers even though the prevalence of
      overweight has exceeded 20% in this age-group for the past decade. Also concerning is that
      few studies have focused on preschoolers from low-socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds despite
      persistent obesity-related socioeconomic disparities. Family-based, behavioral interventions
      appear a promising model for treatment of obesity in early childhood. However, the
      dissemination potential of these programs is unclear as they have primarily been tested with
      families from middle-to-upper class backgrounds and within research settings. Identifying
      effective approaches to weight control for preschoolers from low-SES backgrounds that can be
      delivered in community settings is imperative to reducing the pediatric obesity epidemic. The
      proposed study will begin to address this critical gap by completing the second phase of
      developing a community-based preschool weight control intervention for families enrolled in
      the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The
      proposed study is significant because we specifically target preschool weight control in a
      high-risk population and because delivery of our program within the WIC program is conducive
      to its dissemination. Based upon our formative work, and existing preschool obesity programs,
      we have developed a 14-session, family-based preschool weight control intervention (FBWC)
      that emphasizes experiential learning and is delivered in the WIC and home settings.
      Seventy-two overweight and obese preschool-caregiver dyads will be randomized in a 2:1 ratio
      to receive FBWC or to continue with standard of care at WIC (WSOC). The primary study aims
      are to a) examine the feasibility and acceptability of FBWC and b) explore the preliminary
      efficacy of FBWC compared to WSOC on reduction in preschooler BMI-z-score and caregiver BMI
      from baseline to post-treatment (4-months) and 7-months (3-month follow-up). An exploratory
      aim is to evaluate lifestyle and behavioral indicators of intervention success. This study is
      innovative because: 1) very few studies have examined obesity intervention in preschoolers,
      2) we target weight control in a high-risk group that has been underrepresented in the
      preschool obesity treatment outcome literature, 3) our intervention is community-based, and
      4) we emphasize experiential learning as a strategy for achieving lifestyle behavior change
      and weight control.
    

Intervention name(s): Family-Based Weight Control
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Families randomized to the intervention condition will receive a 4-month, 14-session behavioral weight control intervention targeting obesity reduction in preschoolers and caregivers. Within the program, 9 sessions will be group-based and held at WIC and 5 sessions will be individual visits (4 home-based and 1 at a food market where the family shops). The intervention includes teaching behavioral weight loss, child behavior management, and life skills (e.g., budgeting and time management ) via experiential learning to assist families with implementing diet and activity recommendations for pediatric and adult weight management.
Other intervention name(s): FBWC
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: preschool; obesity; health disparities; intervention