Weight Management for Children

LAUNCH: Learning about Activity and Understanding Nutrition for Better Child Health

The number of preschool children who are overweight has doubled since the 1970's. Being overweight at any time between ages 2 and 5 years increases the chances of a child being overweight by age 12. However, research studies to date have focused on the prevention of obesity for preschool children and the large gap in effective treatments that exists for overweight preschool children. In our current project, we believe parents can be taught skills that will result in improved child health.

What is the purpose of the study?

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the best approach to overweight in preschool children and to identify how much support parents need to make dietary and physical activity changes.

Who will be included in the study?

Preschool children, ages 2-5, identified as being overweight
AND
Have at least one overweight parent
AND
Have not been diagnosed with a medical or developmental condition precluding participation
AND other various study requirements

What is involved?

This program involves you and your child being randomly assigned, assigned by the flip of a coin, to one of two treatment groups that will be evaluated for reducing overweight in preschool children and parents.

Families in both groups will be asked to complete several measures to assess your child's growth, food intake and activity, as well as your satisfaction with treatment and parental weight. The two groups have the same goal of helping preschool children and their parents achieve a health weight, but the treatments will differ in the number of times parent and children meet for treatment.

LAUNCH lasts one year. Families assigned to the Behavior Education program will be asked to attend 12 weekly sessions. The first two sessions will be conducted at Cincinnati Children's and the remaining 10 sessions will alternate between clinic visits with other families and individual home visits. Each clinic visit will last 90 minutes and home visits will last 60 minutes. Home visits are designed to help families identify healthy and unhealthy foods, increase physical activity, and to support parents in the use of child behavior management skills.

Families assigned to the pediatrician delivered Nutrition Education program will meet one time at Cincinnati Children's with a pediatrician trained in child weight management and nutrition. The pediatrician will discuss your child's weight and dietary and activity information to achieve a healthy weight for preschool children and their parents.

What are the benefits?

If you agree to take part in this research study, there may not be a direct medical benefit for you. Potential benefits for you may include an improved awareness of nutritional and physical activity for you and your preschool child. In addition, the information learned from this research study may improve future interventions for other preschool children who are overweight.

Will I get all the facts about the study?

Parents interested in having their child participate will be given a consent form that thoroughly explains all of the details of the study. It goes over all of the procedures, the risks, the benefits, the compensation, who to contact with questions or concerns, and more. A member of the study staff will review the consent form with you and will be sure that all of your questions are answered. Study procedures will not begin until a parent/guardian has signed this form and, if of age, the child has given at minimum his/her verbal agreement.

What are the risks?

There is little risk to participants in this project. The intervention consists of targeting change in dietary and physical activity behaviors and does not involve any invasive or high-risk assessment. However, risks could include reducing calories more than the program recommends and injury resulting from increasing physical activity. Because you will be asked to complete 24 hour food recalls, the investigators will be able to review your child's food intake and help you if your child's caloric intake is to low. There may be unknown or unforeseen risks associated with study participation.

What is the pay?

For each assessment visit, you will be given $50 for your time and effort. There will be four visits at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center including: