Start Date: February 2020

ID #: 86828

Principal Investigator: Sonya Shin, MD, MPH

Organization: The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Inc.

Funding Round: HER Round 12

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Diet-related disparities among indigenous youth are driven, in part, by excess sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and limited access to drinking water. Water is K’é targets environmental change at early childhood education (ECE) sites and community-wide systems change to promote a Diné culture of health. ECE sites will select and implement site-based and community-level changes to address three aspects of water security: safety, access, and promotion. The aims of this project are to: 1) Implement Water is K’é and measure its impact on water and SSB consumption among children ages 2 to 5; 2) Measure the impact of Water is K’é on caregivers’ attitudes and behaviors; and 3) Establish a community Advisory Group to improve the intervention and develop PSE recommendations in collaboration with regional stakeholders. Six ECE sites in Northern Navajo Nation will implement Water is K’é with a target population of approximately 120 children and their caregivers. Among children, we will measure water and SSB consumption and body mass index. Among caregivers, we will measure perception of water safety, attitudes toward Diné water traditions, and how often they offer water to children.

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