SmartFeeding4Kids, an online self-guided parenting intervention to promote positive feeding practices and healthy diet in young children: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background Caregivers’ influence on young children’s eating behaviors is widely recognized. Nutritional interventions that focus on the promotion of children’s healthy diet should actively involve parents, focusing on their feeding behaviors and practices. Methods This work aims to describe the development and study protocol of the SmartFeeding4Kids (SF4K) program, an online self-guided 7-session intervention for parents of young (2–6 years old) children. The program is informed by social cognitive, self-regulation, and habit formation theoretical models and uses self-regulatory techniques as self-monitoring, goal setting, and feedback to promote behavior change. We propose to examine the intervention efficacy on children’s intake of fruit, vegetables, and added sugars, and parental feeding practices with a two-arm randomized controlled with four times repeated measures design (baseline, immediately, 3 and 6 months after intervention). Parental perceived barriers about food and feeding, food parenting self-efficacy, and motivation to change will be analyzed as secondary outcomes. The study of the predictors of parents’ dropout rates and the trajectories of parents’ and children’s outcomes are also objectives of this work. Discussion The SmartFeeding4Kids program relies on technological resources to deliver parents’ self-regulation techniques that proved effective in promoting health behaviors. The study design can enhance the knowledge about the most effective methodologies to change parental feeding practices and children’s food intake. As a self-guided online program, SmartFeeding4Kids might overcome parents’ attrition more effectively, besides being easy to disseminate and cost-effective. Trial registration The study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04591496) on October 19, 2020.

Intake of added sugar, fruits, vegetables, and legumes of Portuguese preschool children: Baseline data from SmartFeeding4Kids randomized controlled trial participants

“…The SF4K randomized controlled trial (RCT) study protocol is described in detail elsewhere ( 13 ), namely the characteristics of the intervention, study design, procedures and outcome measures. The SF4K program is an online self-guided intervention for parents with the propose of changing parental feeding practices and children’s food intake, focusing on the intake of added sugars, fruit, vegetables, and legumes.…”

“…The SF4K program is an online self-guided intervention for parents with the propose of changing parental feeding practices and children’s food intake, focusing on the intake of added sugars, fruit, vegetables, and legumes. The intervention intends to promote positive changes in parental feeding practices and their children’s diet through self-regulation strategies and other behavior change techniques ( 13 ). The study population was Portuguese preschool children (2–6 years old).…”

“…Social networks and online groups attended by parents were used to promote and share this trial. Eligibility criteria were being fluent in Portuguese, a parent/caregiver of one 2- to 6-year-old child at baseline and have a mobile phone or computer/tablet with internet access ( 13 ). Once parents completed the registration on the SF4K app, they were invited to answer a baseline assessment protocol, including demographic information, parent’s and children’s weight and height, age and gender, parent’s educational level, kinship with the child, number of children and adults in the household, if parents receive child benefits, birth date, childcare attendance and food intolerances and allergies.…”

“…The SmartFeeding4Kids (SF4K) program was developed. This paper aims to describe the children’s dietary pattern at baseline of the SmartFeeding4Kids (SF4K) program, focusing on the intake of added sugars, fruits, vegetables, and legumes ( 13 ).…”

Development and Psychometric Characteristics of an Instrument to Assess Parental Feeding Practices to Promote Young Children’s Eating Self-Regulation: Results with a Portuguese Sample

“…The present study emerged from the need for an instrument to assess responsive feeding practices, namely parental acknowledgment and responsiveness to children’s hunger and fullness, to study the efficacy of an intervention to change parents’ practices [ 18 ]. The SmartFeeding4Kids is an online, self-guided intervention to promote positive parental feeding practices and improve 2–6-year-old children’s diet, specifically, to increase vegetables, fruit, and legume intake and decrease intake of sugar-sweetened foods and beverages.…”