Preventing obesity in infants: the Growing healthy feasibility trial protocol

Abstract

IntroductionEarly childhood is an important period for establishing behaviours that will affect weight gain and health across the life course. Early feeding choices, including breast and/or formula, timing of introduction of solids, physical activity and electronic media use among infants and young children are considered likely determinants of childhood obesity. Parents play a primary role in shaping these behaviours through parental modelling, feeding styles, and the food and physical activity environments provided. Children from low socio-economic backgrounds have higher rates of obesity, making early intervention particularly important. However, such families are often more difficult to reach and may be less likely to participate in traditional programs that support healthy behaviours. Parents across all socio-demographic groups frequently access primary health care (PHC) services, including nurses in community health services and general medical practices, providing unparalleled opportunity for engagement to influence family behaviours. One emerging and promising area that might maximise engagement at a low cost is the provision of support for healthy parenting through electronic media such as the Internet or smart phones. The Growing healthy study explores the feasibility of delivering such support via primary health care services.MethodsThis paper describes the Growing healthy study, a non-randomised quasi experimental study examining the feasibility of an intervention delivered via a smartphone app (or website) for parents living in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, for promoting infant feeding and parenting behaviours that promote healthy rather than excessive weight gain. Participants will be recruited via their primary health care practitioner and followed until their infant is 9 months old. Data will be collected via web-based questionnaires and the data collected inherently by the app itself.Ethics and disseminationThis study received approval from the University of Technology Sydney Ethics committee and will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

A Comparison of Recruitment Methods for an mHealth Intervention Targeting Mothers: Lessons from the Growing Healthy Program

“…The methods of this study have been published previously [ 23 ]. Briefly, the growing healthy study utilized a quasi-experimental design with an mHealth intervention group and a concurrent nonrandomized comparison group.…”

“…The data gathered in this study will provide evidence to guide sample size calculations for a subsequent randomized controlled trial. This paper will focus on recruitment to the intervention arm; details of recruitment to the comparison arm have been published [ 23 ].…”

“…Messages were tailored to parents’ feeding mode (breast, formula, or mixed feeding) with links to more information on the app or website. Further details about the development of the program have been published elsewhere [ 23 ]. A feasibility study of the program has been conducted [ 23 ] using a quasi-experimental design, with an mHealth intervention group and a concurrent nonrandomized comparison group.…”

“…Further details about the development of the program have been published elsewhere [ 23 ]. A feasibility study of the program has been conducted [ 23 ] using a quasi-experimental design, with an mHealth intervention group and a concurrent nonrandomized comparison group. The study used a range of recruitment methods, including traditional approaches (face-to-face recruitment by researchers), practitioner referral, and online recruitment, providing a unique opportunity to examine the reach and costs of these various recruitment approaches.…”

Key Lessons and Impact of the Growing Healthy mHealth Program on Milk Feeding, Timing of Introduction of Solids, and Infant Growth: Quasi-Experimental Study (Preprint)

“…A detailed description of the development of the Growing healthy program and the methods of the feasibility study has been previously published [33]. Key components related to this paper are described below.…”