NCT02223234.

No abstract

BackgroundWith 1 in 4 Canadian preschoolers considered overweight or obese, identifying risk factors for excess weight gain and developing effective interventions aimed at promoting healthy weights and related behaviours among young children have become key public health priorities. Despite the need for this research, engaging and maintaining participation is a critical challenge for long-term, family-based studies. The aim of this study is to describe the implementation and evaluation of a parent-only advisory council designed to engage participants in the implementation and evaluation of a longitudinal, family-based obesity prevention intervention.MethodsA Family Advisory Council (n = 14 parents, 70% mothers, 64% white), was established to engage participant stakeholders in decisions related to research protocols and strategies to engage and sustain family participation. Using a mixed methods approach, including a participant survey and focus group, we examined the council members’ perceptions of their role and the impact this novel integrated Knowledge Translation (iKT) strategy had on the Guelph Family Health Study (GFHS), a longitudinal family-based study.ResultsAll members of the Family Advisory Council felt the topics discussed were appropriate, felt that their opinions were valued and that their suggestions have had an impact and direct benefit on the GFHS. The addition of the Family Advisory Council led to changes in study protocol (i.e. creation of more detailed intervention emails, creation of kid-friendly accelerometer bands) that may have contributed to the high retention rate of the GFHS (95% at 6-month follow-up).ConclusionsEngaging parents as research partners in family-based research studies may be an effective way to increase participant engagement and study retention.

Our objectives were to explore the perspectives of a community-based sample of Canadian parents with 2-5-year-old children on: (i) strategies to support the development of healthful weight-related behaviours and (ii) assessment approaches to measure weight-related behaviours and outcomes among children and families. We conducted 4 focus groups with 28 parents (89% mothers and 68% identified as White). Transcripts were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Regarding parent's perceptions of strategies to support healthful behaviours, we found that parents largely valued: home-based interventions, expert opinion, practical health behaviour strategies delivered in a nonjudgmental manner, and opportunities for social support. Regarding perceptions of assessment procedures, parents had mixed views on children providing blood samples, but looked upon it more favourably if it would contribute to research on child health. Our results suggest that to increase parental engagement interventions focused on improving weight-related behaviours among families with young children should be delivered within the home and include easy-to-implement behaviour change strategies communicated by experts, such as dietitians working in the clinical or public health setting. Using social media to share information and provide a platform for social support may also be an effective way to engage parents of young children.

Dietary patterns begin in early childhood and can continue into adulthood. Thus, the early years are crucial for nutrition interventions and habit formation. 1 Infants have a natural affinity to sweet foods overall, and preand postnatal exposures of added sugar are important. 2,3 Genetic, environmental and cultural influences can increase preferences for sugary foods in children. 2 However, there is a lack of high-quality research data on the dietary intake of sugars among young children, especially among infants and toddlers. 4 Given that cardiometabolic risk markers may begin to emerge in children as young as 3 years of age, 5 it is important to understand patterns of sugar intake and explore associations between intake of sugar and cardiometabolic risk markers (including anthropometric measures) in early life. This information can help inform policy development and programs for behaviour change intervention focused on early prevention.Adverse effects of excessive sugar intake are a cause for global public health concern in all age groups. 6 Overconsumption of sugar has been associated with increased risk of excessive weight gain, dental decay, poor diet quality and nutritional inadequacy in children and adolescents younger than 19 years. 4,7,8 Excessive sugar intake has also been implicated in the development of