Community Partnering to Encourage Healthy Beverage Intake Through Child Care
Condition: Obesity
MeSH terms: Obesity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Beverage consumption is an important determinant of young children's weight, yet few obesity
      prevention interventions focus comprehensively on encouraging healthy beverage consumption.
      This quasi-experimental study evaluated whether a childcare-based intervention, combining
      environmental changes, education/promotion, and policy supports to promote healthy beverage
      intake, improved at-home beverage consumption and weight status among children ages 2-5
      years.
    

Detailed description: 
      Inappropriate intake of whole milk, fruit juice, and sugar-sweetened beverages is associated
      with childhood obesity, obesity-related co morbidities, and dental caries, yet there are few
      proven interventions to promote child intake of healthy beverages consistent with national
      guidelines. Child care facilities provide a potential venue for influencing healthy beverage
      intake in children and families. The overall objective of this study is to use principles of
      community-based participatory research (CBPR; an approach in which researchers partner with
      community members to conduct research) to develop, pilot test, and examine the acceptability,
      feasibility, sustainability, and preliminary outcomes of a child care-based intervention to
      encourage child intake of age-appropriate, guideline-recommended beverages. The central
      hypothesis is that a multi-level intervention consisting of educational strategies to
      encourage intake of guideline-recommended beverages; increased accessibility of lead-free,
      fluoridated, drinking water in child care and at home; and evidence-based child care and home
      beverage policies will lead to healthier beverage intake and reduced childhood obesity. This
      hypothesis was tested through a quasi-experimental trial in four child care centers. Centers
      were randomized to a control (delayed-intervention) condition or to receive a 12-week
      intervention that promoted consumption of healthy beverages (water, unsweetened low-fat milk)
      and discouraged consumption of unhealthy beverages (juice, sugar-sweetened beverages,
      high-fat or sweetened milk). The multi-pronged intervention was delivered via child care
      centers, targeted children, parents, and child care staff, and included education,
      environmental changes, and policies. Outcomes were measured at baseline and immediately
      post-intervention and included children's (n =154) at-home beverage consumption (assessed via
      parental report) and overweight/obese weight status (assessed via objectively measured height
      and weight).
    

Intervention name(s): Healthy Beverages in Child Care
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): 12-week intervention promoted consumption of healthy beverages (water, unsweetened low-fat milk) and discouraged consumption of unhealthy beverages (juice, sugar-sweetened beverages, high-fat or sweetened milk). The multi-pronged intervention was delivered via child care centers, targeted children, parents, and child care staff, and included education, environmental changes, and policies.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: nutrition; child care; obesity