Parent and child care provider partnerships: Protocol for the Healthy Me, Healthy We (HMHW) cluster randomized control trial

Heidi Hennink-Kaminski, Amber E. Vaughn, Derek Hales, Reneé H. Moore, Courtney T. Luecking, Dianne S. Ward

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background Formation of diet and physical activity habits begins during early childhood. However, many preschool-aged children in the United States do not achieve recommendations for a nutritious diet or active lifestyle. Two important spheres of influence, home and child care, could ensure that children receive consistent health messages. Innovative approaches that engage both parents and child care providers in a substantial way are needed. Social marketing, a promising approach for health promotion targeting children, uses principles that recognize the need to engage multiple stakeholders and to emphasize benefits and overcome barriers associated with behavior change. Yet, application of social marketing principles in interventions for preschool-age children is limited. Methods Healthy Me, Healthy We (HMHW) is 2-arm, cluster randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of a 8-month social marketing campaign on the diet and physical activity behaviors of preschool children (3–4 years old), their parents, and child care providers. The campaign is delivered by the child care center and includes branded classroom and at-home activities and materials. Primary outcomes are children's diet quality (assessed with Healthy Eating Index scores) and minutes of non-sedentary activity (measured via accelerometers). Secondary outcomes assess children's body mass index, nutrition and physical activity practices at the child care center and at home, and health behaviors of child care providers and parents. Conclusion HMHW is an innovative approach to promoting healthy eating and physical activity in preschool children. The campaign targets children during a key developmental period and leverages a partnership between providers and parents to affect behavior change.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)49-57
Number of pages9
JournalContemporary Clinical Trials
Volume64
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2018

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This research was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01-HL120969 . This project was conducted out of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), which is a Prevention Research Center funded through a Cooperative Agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( U48-DP005017 ). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The sponsor had no role in the study design, collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data; writing of the article; or decision to publish this article.

Funding Information:
This research was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01-HL120969. This project was conducted out of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), which is a Prevention Research Center funded through a Cooperative Agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U48-DP005017). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The sponsor had no role in the study design, collection, analysis, or interpretation of the data; writing of the article; or decision to publish this article.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier Inc.

Keywords

  • Child care intervention
  • Diet
  • EPAO
  • Healthy behaviors
  • Physical activity
  • Social marketing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pharmacology (medical)

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