Positive Food Parenting for Childhood Obesity

Overseen By Hannah E Kolpack, BS

Age: Any Age

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: State University of New York at Buffalo

Must not be taking: Appetite suppressants

Disqualifiers: Eating disorder, Internet access, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

36 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial aims to help parents learn effective ways to encourage healthy eating habits in their children to prevent obesity. It will test a 12-week program called "Nourish to Flourish: The Power of Positive Food Parenting," which provides parents with tools to promote a healthy diet and growth for their child. Participants will divide into two groups: one will receive the intervention, and the other will not. Parents with a child aged 5-11 at risk for obesity and who seek more guidance in food parenting may find this trial suitable. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity for parents to gain valuable insights and strategies for fostering healthier lifestyles in their children.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

If you are on medication that could affect your eating or feeding behaviors, you may not be eligible to participate in this trial.

What prior data suggests that this intervention is safe for children and parents?

Research has shown that programs like "Nourish to Flourish" are generally well-received by participants. For example, a similar program retained 85% of participants until the end, indicating comfort and interest. These programs teach positive parenting skills, which involve no physical treatments or medications. Consequently, there have been no reports of negative effects. Overall, evidence suggests that the program is safe and well-liked by participants. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the "Positive Food Parenting" approach for childhood obesity because it focuses on empowering parents with positive nutrition strategies rather than relying solely on diet and exercise plans. Unlike traditional methods that often emphasize calorie restriction or physical activity, this intervention aims to change family dynamics and food-related behaviors in a supportive way. By fostering a positive food environment at home, it encourages healthier eating habits in children, potentially leading to more sustainable long-term weight management.

What evidence suggests that this intervention is effective for childhood obesity?

Research has shown that the Nourish to Flourish program, which participants in this trial may receive as part of the experimental group, can improve children's eating habits and lower their BMI, a measure of body fat. One study found that families in the program saw noticeable improvements in children's BMI from the beginning to the end, and parents reported making better food choices. Another study found fewer changes, but participants in the Nourish program still showed significant dietary improvements. These results suggest that positive food parenting plays a crucial role in encouraging healthier eating and supporting children's growth. ^{1 3 4 6 7}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Katherine N Balantekin, PhD, RD

Principal Investigator

Assistant Professor, University at Buffalo

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for parents of children at risk for obesity, aiming to help them promote healthy growth and improve diet quality in their kids. Parents willing to participate in a 12-week program focused on positive food parenting are eligible.

Inclusion Criteria

Have access to internet and a Zoom compatible device

Is not currently diagnosed with a clinical eating disorder (ED)

I am between 5 and 11 years old.

Exclusion Criteria

My child is under 18 and does not meet the BMI and age requirements.

Does not report low use of positive food parenting (as defined above)

I feed my child less than half of the time.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Intervention

Participants receive a 12-week positive food parenting intervention focused on structure-based and autonomy promoting practices

12 weeks

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in parent BMI, child zBMI, and diet quality after the intervention

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Nourish to Flourish: The Power of Positive Food Parenting

Trial Overview The 'Nourish to Flourish' program is being tested. It's a 12-week intervention teaching parents how to use structure-based and autonomy-promoting practices in feeding their children, with the goal of fostering healthier eating habits.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Experimental Group - Positive Food Parenting Intervention Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants randomly assigned to the experimental group.

Group II: Control Group Active Control 1 Intervention

Participants randomly assigned to the control group.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

State University of New York at Buffalo

Lead Sponsor

Trials

279

Recruited

52,600+

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Collaborator

Trials

2,513

Recruited

4,366,000+

Citations

1. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3326640/

Nourishing Our Understanding of Role Modeling to ... We hypothesize that children whose parents participate in NOURISH will manifest greater decreases in BMI, and greater improvements in dietary intake, and ...

2. digitalcommons.unf.edu digitalcommons.unf.edu/context/etd/article/2354/viewcontent/ETD1845PA.pdf

Rose Nourish to Flourish obesity prevention program targeting ... In the case of childhood overweight and obesity these consequences include an increased risk for chronic diseases such as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, ...

3. bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-9-387

The NOURISH randomised control trial: Positive feeding ... The NOURISH trial aims to implement and evaluate a community-based intervention to promote early feeding practices that will foster healthy food preferences ...

4. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091743512002654

Dietary intake in a randomized-controlled pilot of NOURISH Both groups reported significant dietary changes, with few treatment effects found. For parents in NOURISH, significant improvements were found in intakes of ...

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4672736/

Parent skills training to enhance weight loss in overweight ... NOURISH families significantly improved on child BMI from pre- to post-testing after adjustment for random effects, baseline BMI, and child race. NOURISH ...

6. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8077729/

Design and Rationale for NOURISH-T: A Randomized Control ... Consistent with Ewing's work which found a retention rate of 85% in a 10-session intervention with parents of obese, Medicaid-insured children [52], we plan a ...

7. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10316528/

Systematic Review of General Parenting Intervention ... Interventions focused on general positive parenting are efficacious at lowering risk of overweight/obesity without focusing on physical health.