Development of the Intervention Materials for the HomeStyles Obesity Prevention Program for Parents of Preschoolers

Abstract

Home environment is key to the development of obesity-preventing behaviors during childhood, yet few resources help preschool parents address factors at home associated with obesity risk. This paper describes creation of materials for an in-home intervention (HomeStyles) with this population. An advisory group of stakeholders and target audience members determined salient factors affecting childhood obesity to address in-home and developed program materials. The Social Cognitive Theory, Faith’s Core Behavior Change Strategies to Treat Childhood Obesity, Adult Learning Theory and motivational interviewing techniques guided development of 12 guides targeting strategies parents can use to shape the home environment. Interviews were conducted to determine effectiveness of the guides. Cognitive testing of guide design (n = 251) and content (n = 261) occurred in English and Spanish in New Jersey and Arizona with parents and home visitation staff who would present the guides. Interviews investigated perceptions of content usefulness and parent comprehension. Findings were also examined in light of theoretical underpinnings. Both home visitation staff and parents felt the guides were very readable and useful. Parents appreciated use of motivational interviewing techniques and Adult Learning Theory. Current research is testing these guides through an in-home, randomized control trial.

The marketing plan and outcome indicators for recruiting and retaining parents in the HomeStyles randomized controlled trial

“…Product, the second P, was a major component of this overall project, taking over 2 years to create the core products (i.e., instructional materials). The development of HomeStyles is described in detail elsewhere [ 2 – 6 ]; a brief summary follows to provide context for this paper. HomeStyles is an online program designed to enable and motivate parents of preschool children to make quick, easy, no-cost childhood obesity-preventive changes to their home environments and family lifestyles.…”

“…Content was developed to be responsive to the latest research findings and childhood obesity prevention recommendations [ 1 , 58 – 61 ]. All instructional and data collection materials were thoroughly pretested with members of the target audience to ensure a high degree of comprehension, relevance, usability, interest, preference, attractiveness, and satisfaction [ 2 – 5 , 62 – 64 ].…”

“…The sixth P, promotion, addressed all forms of marketing HomeStyles to prospective participants. The content of the recruitment marketing materials was informed by qualitative data collection activities (i.e., focus groups [ n = 139] and cognitive testing of intervention materials [ n = 512]) conducted as part of the overall project formative research and supplemented with quantitative preference surveys with English- and Spanish-speaking parents of preschool children residing in New Jersey and Arizona [ 2 – 5 ]. Salient findings from the formative research relevant to recruitment materials included parents’ strong dislike of the terms “obesity” or “overweight” and messaging that implied a need to organize or “get things under control” [ 3 , 4 ].…”

“…According to the Institute of Medicine, “[F]amilies play a central role in childhood obesity prevention.… Innovative approaches are needed to provide families with relevant obesity prevention information, particularly information that is practical, that is easily implemented, and that does not judge or lecture parents” [ 1 ] , p. 343 . To address this need, the HomeStyles program was developed to help parents shape home environments and lifestyle practices to be more supportive of optimal child health and weights [ 2 – 5 ]. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) of this online, theory-driven, evidence-based intervention was conducted between 2014 and 2016 [ 6 ].…”

Evaluation of a Childhood Obesity Prevention Online Training Certificate Program for Community Family Educators

“…The video topics addressed the most salient factors affecting childhood obesity that could be addressed by parents in the home environment [10]. The videos were developed to support HomeStyles, a childhood obesity prevention program [11]. Video content included: (1) overview to orient participants to the training program purpose and goals and importance of obesity prevention; (2) normal growth of young children and nutrient needs; (3) importance of having a healthy weight, health consequences of obesity, and obesity prevention strategies; (4) recommended child feeding strategies and child self-feeding skill development to support healthy weights; (5) benefits of including children in food preparation activities and age-appropriate food preparation activities; (6) benefits of frequent and calm family meals; (7) benefits of fruits and vegetables and tips for incorporating more in the diet; (8) importance of food portion control and tips for controlling portion sizes; (9) benefits of breakfast and techniques for eating breakfast regularly; (10) value of choosing healthy beverages and strategies for improving beverage choices; (11) benefits of physical activity, physical activity recommendations, and age-related motor development skills; (12) screen-time recommendations, benefits of limiting screen-time, and tips for controlling screen-time; and (13) benefits of adequate sleep, sleep duration recommendations by age, and tips for helping children get sufficient sleep.…”