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)
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