HomeStyles-2: Randomized controlled trial protocol for a web-based obesity prevention program for families with children in middle childhood

Carol Byrd-Bredbenner; Elena Santiago; Kaitlyn M Eck; Colleen L Delaney; Virginia M Quick; Angelica Pozzoli; John Worobey; Karla Pagan Shelnutt; Melissa D Olfert

doi:10.1016/j.cct.2021.106644

HomeStyles-2: Randomized controlled trial protocol for a web-based obesity prevention program for families with children in middle childhood

Contemp Clin Trials. 2022 Jan:112:106644. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2021.106644. Epub 2021 Dec 1.

Authors

Carol Byrd-Bredbenner¹, Elena Santiago², Kaitlyn M Eck², Colleen L Delaney², Virginia M Quick², Angelica Pozzoli², John Worobey², Karla Pagan Shelnutt³, Melissa D Olfert⁴

Affiliations

¹ Nutritional Sciences Department, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States of America. Electronic address: bredbenner@sebs.rutgers.edu.
² Nutritional Sciences Department, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States of America.
³ Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States of America.
⁴ Department of Animal and Nutritional Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America.

PMID: 34861408
DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2021.106644

Abstract

Background: Parents are children's primary role models, are food and physical activity gatekeepers, and create the home structure/lifestyle environment. Thus, parents strongly influence children's weight-related behaviors and have the opportunity to cultivate a "culture of health" within the home. Yet, there is a dearth of evidence-based obesity prevention intervention programs, especially for families with children aged 6-11 years, commonly called middle childhood.

Methods: The aim of the HomeStyles-2 online learning mode RCT is to determine whether this novel, age-appropriate, family intervention enables and motivates parents to shape home environments and weight-related lifestyle practices (i.e.,diet, exercise, sleep) to be more supportive of optimal health and reduced obesity risk in middle childhood youth more than those in the control condition. The RCT will include the experimental group and an attention control group. The participants will be parents with school-age children who are systematically randomly assigned by computer to study condition. The HomeStyles intervention is predicated on the social cognitive theory and a social ecological framework. The RCT will collect sociodemographic characteristics of the participant, child, and partner/spouse; child and parent health status; parent weight-related cognitions; weight-related behaviors of the parent and child; and weight-related characteristics of the home environment. Deliverables Enrollment for this study will begin in 2022.

Discussion: This paper describes these aspects of the HomeStyles-2 intervention: rationale; sample eligibility criteria and recruitment; study design; experimental group intervention theoretical and philosophical underpinnings, structure, content, and development process; attention control intervention; survey instrument development and components; outcome measures; and planned analyses.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, Protocol #NCT04802291, Registered March 14, 2021.

Keywords: Cognitions; Home environment; Intervention; Lifestyles; Middle childhood; Parents; Social cognitive theory; obesity.

Publication types

Clinical Trial Protocol
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Child
Exercise / psychology
Health Promotion
Humans
Internet
Life Style
Parents / psychology
Pediatric Obesity* / prevention & control
Pediatric Obesity* / psychology
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT04802291