JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Childhood obesity is a pervasive and challenging public health issue, with 30% of children aged 2-4 years classified as being overweight or obese in New Zealand. This is concerning, given that up to 90% of obese 3-year-old children are overweight or obese by the time they reach adolescence. Interventions that specifically target this age range often fail to demonstrate long-term effectiveness, and primarily focus on traditional weight-related behaviours, including diet, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour. However, recent research suggests that targeting non-traditional weight-related behaviours, such as sleep, screen time, and family meals, may be appropriate and more effective approach in this age group, given the immense challenges in changing traditional weight-related behaviours long-term.

Objective:

The aim of the proposed study was to develop and pilot the 3 Pillars Study (3PS), a 6-week program for parents of New Zealand toddlers and preschoolers aged 2-4 years to promote positive parent-child interactions during three family routines, specifically, adequate sleep, regular family meals, and restricted screen time.

Methods:

The effects of the program on screen time (primary endpoint), frequency of family meals, parent feeding practices, diet quality, and sleep duration will be piloted using a randomized controlled trial, with outcomes compared between the active intervention group and a wait-list control group at 6 weeks (at the end of the programme) and 12 weeks (at final follow-up). We aim to recruit 50 participants (25 per arm). Eligibility criteria include parents of children aged 2-4 years of age who are currently exceeding screen use recommendations (that is, greater than 1 hour of screen time per day). The 3PS program involves a half-day workshop, run by a community worker trained to deliver the program content, and 6-week access to a study website that contains in-depth information about the program. All participants will also receive a study pack, which includes resources to encourage engagement in the three family routines promoted by the program. Study data will be collected in REDCap. All statistical analyses will be performed using SAS version 9.4, and have been specified a priori in a statistical analysis plan prepared by the study statistician.

Results:

Trial recruitment opened in July 2018. Final follow-up is expected in December 2018, with trial findings expected to be available in early 2019.

Conclusions:

Findings from this pilot study will provide relevant data to inform the design of a larger effectiveness study of the 3PS program. Clinical Trial: Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Register ACTRN12618000823279