Childhood Obesity Prevention Program for Hispanics
Condition: Childhood Obesity
MeSH terms: Obesity; Pediatric Obesity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a culturally-appropriate childhood
      obesity intervention with Hispanic families. The program aims at preventing childhood obesity
      by targeting parents to address nutrition, physical activity, and sedentary behaviors in
      their children.
    

Detailed description: 
      Childhood obesity has been ranked as a critical public health threat in the U.S. due to the
      increasing prevalence of obesity among children over the past three decades. Childhood
      obesity poses both intermediate and long-term health risks, as well as considerable economic
      costs. While this epidemic affects all socioeconomic levels, certain racial/ethnic groups are
      disproportionately affected, including Hispanics.The long-term goal of the current research
      is to contribute to the reduction of racial/ethnic disparities in obesity and obesity-related
      outcomes among Hispanics by testing a childhood obesity prevention program that has been
      culturally tailored for the Hispanic population through a participatory process. This
      developmental community-based participatory research (CBPR) project is a collaborative
      community-academic partnership between Meharry Medical College (MMC), Tennessee State
      University-Center for Health Research (TSU-CHR), and a grassroots community-based
      organization called Progreso Community Center (PCC). The Childhood Obesity Study is designed
      to evaluate two programs for Hispanic children ages 5 to 7 and their parents. One program
      focuses on nutrition and physical activity (based on NIH's "We Can!" program), and a parallel
      program focuses on oral health (developed by TSU's Dental Hygiene Program). Upon enrollment
      in the Study, parents and children will respond to an initial interview involving body
      measurement and questionnaire. Families will be given physical activity monitor to be worn
      for 7 days and randomly assigned to one of two groups. The families assigned to the Nutrition
      and Physical Activity Program will attend eight (8) bi-weekly classes (one every two weeks
      for four months) dealing with nutrition and physical activity. In the Oral Health Program
      families will attend 4 monthly classes (once a month for four months). These sessions deal
      with ways to take care of children's teeth and oral health. In addition, these families will
      have the opportunity to sign up for a free dental cleaning and assessment at the Dental
      Hygiene Clinic at Tennessee State University.
    

Intervention name(s): Healthy Families-Childhood Obesity Prevention and Oral Health
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The active intervention was adapted from the We Can! parent intervention to be culturally-appropriate for Hispanic families of children ages 5-7. The tailored intervention is based on Social Cognitive Theory and Behavioral Choice Theory to provide parents and children with cognitive and behavioral skills to enable change in the target behaviors, and to encourage them to practice using these skills to strengthen their perceived competence in using these behaviors effectively.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Obesity; Pediatric Obesity