Twelve-Month Efficacy of an Obesity Prevention Program Targeting Hispanic Families With Preschoolers From Low-Income Backgrounds.

Abstract Objective Assess effects of an obesity prevention program promoting eating self-regulation and healthy preferences in Hispanic preschool children. Design Randomized controlled trial with pretest, posttest, 6- and 12-month assessments. Fourteen waves, each lasting 7 weeks. Setting Families recruited from Head Start across 2 sites. Participants Two hundred fifty-five families randomized into prevention (n = 136) or control (n = 119). Intervention Prevention received curriculum; control received no curriculum. Main Outcome Measure(s) Feeding knowledge/practices/styles (parent); body mass index percentile, eating self-regulation, trying new foods, and fruit/vegetable consumption (child). Analysis Multilevel analyses for nested data (time points within families; families within waves) and multinomial regression. Results Program increased mothers’ repeated presentation of new foods (P Conclusions and Implications Program effects emphasize the importance of feeding approaches in reducing childhood obesity.