My weight-their weight: eHealth intervention for managing obesity in child care settings
Project Title
My weight-their weight: eHealth intervention for managing obesity in child care settings
Funding Dates
2/01/2022-1/31/2027
Description
Child care centers ─ and their providers ─ are critical partners in public health efforts to address today’s obesity epidemic. To fully leverage the potential of the child care setting for childhood obesity prevention, initiatives must not intervene solely at the child care organization, but rather they should also address the health needs of the child care providers. Providers suffer disproportionately high rates of obesity and research has shown that their own knowledge and skills around healthy eating and physical activity is associated with their confidence and ability to model and promote healthy lifestyle behaviors to children. The goal of this project is to fully leverage the potential of the child care setting for childhood obesity prevention by addressing the health needs of the child care providers. The study will integrate an evidence-based weight management intervention for child care providers into Go NAPSACC’s existing childhood obesity prevention program. A cluster randomized controlled trial will assess the enhanced Go NAPSACC program and evaluate if improving child care providers’ health behaviors elicit meaningful change in dietary and physical activity behaviors in 2-5-year-old children in their care and the child care environment. If successful, findings will provide a highly implementable, scalable, and sustainable strategy that would enhance the standard paradigm of early childhood obesity prevention initiatives.
Research Areas
Cardiovascular Health, Obesity, & Diabetes
Children’s Health
Nutrition & Physical Activity
Principal Investigator
Erik Willis, PhD
Funding
The National Institutes of Health (NIH)