Linking Primary Care, Communities and Families to Prevent Obesity Among Preschoolers

The goal of the Minnesota center is to integrate primary care, home, and community-based
intervention strategies to promote sustained patterns of change in food intake, physical
activity, and body weight among low income, ethnically diverse children. A culturally matched
family connector will create linkages among the settings to support parents in making home
environment and parenting behavior changes conducive to healthy growth and development in
their children.

Specific Aim 1 To evaluate the effects of a three-year multi-setting parent-targeted
randomized controlled intervention on the primary outcome, child BMI, compared to a standard
primary care-only intervention among 500 low income ethnic minority two to four year old
children who are at or above the 50th percentile of BMI for age and gender.

Hypothesis 1: Children in the multi-setting parent-targeted intervention will have a lower
BMI at 24 and 36 months, compared with children in the standard primary care only control
group.

Specific Aim 2 To evaluate the effects of a three-year multi-setting parent-targeted
intervention on secondary outcomes, including change in child energy intake and physical
activity energy expenditure, compared to a standard primary care-only intervention.

Hypothesis 2: Children in the multi-setting parent-targeted intervention will have lower
energy intake and higher energy expenditure over the three-year period, compared with
children in the standard primary care-only control group.

Specific Aim 3 To evaluate the effects of the multi-setting parent-targeted intervention on
hypothesized mediators of change in dietary intake, physical activity, and BMI.

Hypothesis 3: It is hypothesized that changes in parenting behaviors and the home food and
physical activity environment will mediate changes in child energy intake and expenditure,
and body mass index (BMI).