Newsletter
Contact
Reservation-based American Indian (AI) children suffer the highest rates of childhood obesity in the United States. This project will provide evidence to support the integration of childhood obesity prevention modules into government-funded home-visiting programs. It will also identify the role of water insecurity in sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake. The specific aims of the study are to: 1) assess the impact of a home-visiting module, Family Spirit Nurture (FSN), on SSB introduction/frequency and optimal complementary and responsive feeding practices between 3 and 9 months post-partum, and 2) assess the impact of water insecurity on SSB consumption among infants between 3 and 6 months post-partum. The study will be a randomized 1:1 controlled trial with 136 mother-infant dyads. AI mothers and children ages 1-3 months living <50 miles from the Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, NM, on the Navajo Nation will be enrolled in the study. Mothers will be randomized to FSN or a control condition and complete evaluations at baseline (<3) and 4, 6, and 9 months post-partum. Outcome measures include maternal feeding and nutrition knowledge; introduction/frequency of infant SSB consumption; complementary and responsive feeding practices collected via self-assessment or structured interview; and BMI z-score, obtained through medical chart reviews.
Start Date: November 2016
ID #: 74132
Principal Investigator: Allison Barlow, MA, MPH
Co-Principal Investigator: Raymond Reid, MD
Organization: John's Hopkins University
Funding Round: Round 10
Race/Ethnicity: American Indian
Focus Areas: Beverages, Early Childhood
Keywords: Community setting, Home, Infant Feeding, Sugar-sweetened beverages, Water
Resource Type: Grant Summary
State: New Mexico
Age Group: Pregnant women, infants and toddlers (ages 0 to 2)
Related Research
November 2020
Effect of a Home-Visiting Intervention to Reduce Early Childhood Obesity Among Native American Children
The objective of this study was to assess the impact of a brief home-visiting approach, Family Spirit Nurture (FSN), on sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, responsive parenting and infant feeding practices, and optimal growth through 12 months post partum. This study was a 1:1 randomized clinical trial comparing FSN with an injury prevention education control condition MoreNovember 2025
Forecasting WIC funding needs: Supporting families, strengthening access
WIC serves more than 50% of all infants born in the U.S. The goal of this study is to build a forecasting model to estimate national WIC funding needs under various policy and economic conditions through fiscal year 2027. The model will also be designed to allow for updates to forecast funding needs for future MoreAugust 2025