Family‐based interventions for preventing overweight or obesity among preschoolers from racial/ethnic minority groups: A scoping review

Abstract

Objective: This scoping review aimed to synthesize the published literature on family-based childhood obesity prevention interventions from 2015 to 2021 that focused on children 2-5 years of age from racial and/or ethnic minority households. Methods:A PICOS (population, intervention, comparison, outcome, and setting) framework was used to guide the development of the research question, search strategy, and inclusion/exclusion criteria. To be included, the study must have been a randomized controlled trial or quasi-experimental trial that enrolled participants 2-5 years of age and their caregivers who identified as being from a racial and/or ethnic minority group in the United States. The study must have also examined a family-based intervention that incorporated components to prevent childhood obesity (i.e., fruits and vegetable intake, parental responsive feeding, physical activity), be conducted in a remote (i.e., online, text, mail), home, community, primary care setting, or early childhood education institution setting, and report on body mass index (BMI, kg/m 2 ), BMI z-score, anthropometric measures (weight, waist circumference, fat mass, etc.), changes in health behaviors, or increase in nutritional knowledge. Results: Fourteen individual studies were identified. Most interventions used multiple components for promoting nutritional knowledge and behavioral changes among families. Eight interventions included culturally tailored components targeting four aspects: (1) language barriers, (2) food choices, (3) relationships between family members, and (4) rapport building. Conclusions: There is limited research in this field focusing on children from racial and/or ethnic minority groups. Future efforts should invest in developing culturally appropriate interventions for these groups.

Profiles of Cultural Adaptation and Parenting Approach for Childhood Obesity in Lifestyle Interventions for Families With Young Children

“…IM distinguishes 6 steps in the planning of health promotion programs, starting with defining a logic model of the problem (1) and a model of change (2), followed by the design (3), production (4) and implementation of the program (5), and, finally, the evaluation (6). Distinguishing various concrete indicators of cultural adaptation for each IM step allows an in-depth analysis of cultural adaptation.…”

“…Various interventions have been developed and evaluated for the prevention of childhood obesity. Reviews have shown that a combined approach with a center-based component and a home-based component contributes significantly to the effectiveness of these interventions 4–6. This implies that the culture of families and parenting styles in the domestic situation are important contexts for preventive healthy lifestyle interventions for children in their early years.…”

Results from the Strong Families Start at Home/Familias Fuertes Comienzan en Casa: feasibility randomised control trial to improve the diet quality of low-income, predominantly Hispanic/Latinx children

“…A 2021 review identified 14 family-based, obesity prevention interventions (2015-2021) in 2-5year-old tailored for children of racial and ethnic minoritized populations. Of the identified interventions, eight reported diet-related outcomes, all of which found improvements (13) .…”

“…A 2021 review identified fourteen familybased, obesity prevention interventions (2015-2021) tailored for 2-5-year-old children of racial and ethnic minoritised populations. Of the identified interventions, eight reported diet-related outcomes, all of which found improvements (15) . However, most studies that analysed diet did not assess overall diet quality, and instead focused on intake of specific food groups or energetic intake.…”

Impact of ¡Míranos! on parent-reported home-based healthy energy balance-related behaviors in low-income Latino preschool children: a clustered randomized controlled trial

“…Similarly, reported findings from childcare-based interventions targeting the social, cultural, and physical home environments have demonstrated promising impacts on children’s body mass index (BMI) and EBRBs [ 26 , 27 ]. However, a gap remains in culturally tailored intervention to target American Latino children and their families [ 28 , 29 ] who are at increased risk for obesity [ 30 ].…”