Improving feeding practices for child diet and weight in low income families

Hoerr, Sharon

Abstract

Improving feeding practices for child diet and eight in low income families The long-term objective of this study is to develop and test parental feeding strategies for an R01 application to reduce childhood obesity and improve diet quality among low-income groups.
The specific aims are to:
Aim 1) Define constructs of parental feeding control practices that influence weight status and dietary intake of 3-5 yr children from low-income families;
Aim 2) Test and estimate a model that explains how parental feeding practices affect the diet quality and weight status the children;
and Aim 3) Develop and pilot test an video- based interactive educational intervention to improve parents'feeding practices to optimize the child's weight and food intake. Achievement of these aims reflect the NIH's mission to apply knowledge of behavior of living systems to extend healthy life and reduce the burden of illness by providing a means to reduce child obesity and improve diet quality via dissemination of information in health. This cross sectional study will target about 400 mother-child dyads, children ages 3-5 yr, from 26 Head Start sites in greater Lansing, Michigan and be conducted in 2 phases. Phase 1 will use a cross-sectional design to develop an instrument to investigate relationships among the three types of parental feeding practices and the child's intake of nutrient-dense and energy-dense foods and child weight status controlling for maternal weight status and the child's sedentary activity (n=330). For the instrument, confirmatory analysis, Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability will be used. Furthermore, structural equation modeling will be conducted to test the relationships among the variables. Phase 2 will use the constructs from the instrument and framework in Phase 1 to develop and pilot test a video-based, interactive educational intervention to improve parental feeding practices, child diet quality and child weight status. The goal is to produce six short length video segments for an interactive DVD with menu selection options and use it educate about non-directive and food environmental types of control, stimulating small group discussion. The interactive video intervention will be pilot tested and evaluated using formative and outcome evaluation. Outcome evaluation will include use of the caregiver feeding behavior constructs from the instrument developed in the Phase 1 and the child's food intake and weight status in a pre- post test.

Public Health Relevance

Developing and testing a model about how parental feeding control practices affect the diet and weight status of 3-5 year old children from low income families is important to address the child obesity epidemic. Community applications of the model will be as an interactive educational video to be used in Head start parent meetings and other sites to help parents improve their feeding practices for good child diet quality and weight status. Achieving the study objectives should extend healthy life and reduce the cost of illness by distribution of health information in a meaningful way to parents from families with low income.