NET-Works:Community Preschooler Obesity Prevention

NCT01606891 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: U01HD068990
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 534
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of the Minnesota center is to integrate primary care, home, and community-based intervention strategies to promote sustained patterns of change in food intake, physical activity, and body weight among low income, ethnically diverse children. A culturally matched family connector will create linkages among the settings to support parents in making home environment and parenting behavior changes conducive to healthy growth and development in their children. Specific Aim 1 To evaluate the effects of a three-year multi-setting parent-targeted randomized controlled intervention on the primary outcome, child BMI, compared to a standard primary care-only intervention among 500 low income ethnic minority two to four year old children who are at or above the 50th percentile of BMI for age and gender. Hypothesis 1: Children in the multi-setting parent-targeted intervention will have a lower BMI at 24 and 36 months, compared with children in the standard primary care only control group. Specific Aim 2 To evaluate the effects of a three-year multi-setting parent-targeted intervention on secondary outcomes, including change in child energy intake and physical activity energy expenditure, compared to a standard primary care-only intervention. Hypothesis 2: Children in the multi-setting parent-targeted intervention will have lower energy intake and higher energy expenditure over the three-year period, compared with children in the standard primary care-only control group. Specific Aim 3 To evaluate the effects of the multi-setting parent-targeted intervention on hypothesized mediators of change in dietary intake, physical activity, and BMI. Hypothesis 3: It is hypothesized that changes in parenting behaviors and the home food and physical activity environment will mediate changes in child energy intake and expenditure, and body mass index (BMI).

Conditions

Childhood Obesity

Keywords

preschooler obesity prevention; community home visiting parents; preschooler excess BMI gain; multi-setting/component intervention

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• body mass index

  three years

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• energy intake

  three years

Study Arms (2)

parent-targeted intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

experimental

Behavioral: multi-component/setting parent-targeted intervention

Primary Care

NO INTERVENTION

Standard primary care

Interventions

multi-component/setting parent-targeted intervention BEHAVIORAL

parents assigned to this group will be asked to participate in a program of home visiting, community parenting classes, and community food and physical activity resource links

parent-targeted intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 2 Years - 4 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• A child and his or her parent(s) will be eligible for the study if:
• the two to four year old child is scheduled to receive or eligible for (based on an upcoming birthday) a recommended well child visit conducted by a pediatric or family practice care provider;
• the child has no medical problems that would preclude study participation as determined by the physician conducting the well child visit (e.g. serious disease that would make following guidelines for parent encouragement of healthy diet and physical activity infeasible);
• the child's BMI is greater than or equal to the 50th percentile according to CDC age and sex reference standards http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhanes/growthcharts/bmiage.txt;
• the child's parent/guardian agrees to participation in the study and is not planning to move out of the state in the next three years
• the primary caregiver is willing and able to complete the evaluation measures and participate in intervention activities if assigned to the active intervention group.
• the parent speaks either English or Spanish.

You may not qualify if:

• A child will be excluded if she or he does not meet the above eligibility criteria

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Minnesota: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Minnesota Division of Epidemiology & Community Health

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55454, United States

Location

Related Publications (7)

• Jang S, Goodman L, Sherwood NE, French SA, Kunin-Batson A, de Brito JN. Early-Life Sociodemographic Factors and Cardiovascular Health in Preadolescence Among Low-Income and Racially and Ethnically Diverse Children. J Am Heart Assoc. 2025 Nov 4;14(21):e040692. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.124.040692. Epub 2025 Oct 23.

  PMID: 41128142 DERIVED

• JaKa MM, Wood C, Veblen-Mortenson S, Moore SM, Matheson D, Stevens J, Atkins L, Michie S, Adegbite-Adeniyi C, Olayinka O, Po'e EK, Kelly AM, Nicastro H, Bangdiwala SI, Barkin SL, Pratt C, Robinson TN, Sherwood NE. Applying the Behavior Change Technique Taxonomy to Four Multicomponent Childhood Obesity Interventions. West J Nurs Res. 2021 May;43(5):468-477. doi: 10.1177/0193945920954782. Epub 2020 Sep 10.

  PMID: 32909523 DERIVED

• Berge JM, Miller J, Veblen-Mortenson S, Kunin-Batson A, Sherwood NE, French SA. A Bidirectional Analysis of Feeding Practices and Eating Behaviors in Parent/Child Dyads from Low-Income and Minority Households. J Pediatr. 2020 Jun;221:93-98.e20. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2020.02.001. Epub 2020 Apr 1.

  PMID: 32247517 DERIVED

• Cui Z, Truesdale KP, Robinson TN, Pemberton V, French SA, Escarfuller J, Casey TL, Hotop AM, Matheson D, Pratt CA, Lotas LJ, Po'e E, Andrisin S, Ward DS. Recruitment strategies for predominantly low-income, multi-racial/ethnic children and parents to 3-year community-based intervention trials: Childhood Obesity Prevention and Treatment Research (COPTR) Consortium. Trials. 2019 May 28;20(1):296. doi: 10.1186/s13063-019-3418-0.

  PMID: 31138278 DERIVED

• French SA, Sherwood NE, Veblen-Mortenson S, Crain AL, JaKa MM, Mitchell NR, Hotop AM, Berge JM, Kunin Batson AS, Truesdale K, Stevens J, Pratt C, Esposito L. Multicomponent Obesity Prevention Intervention in Low-Income Preschoolers: Primary and Subgroup Analyses of the NET-Works Randomized Clinical Trial, 2012-2017. Am J Public Health. 2018 Dec;108(12):1695-1706. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2018.304696.

  PMID: 30403521 DERIVED

• Ruiz RM, Sommer EC, Tracy D, Banda JA, Economos CD, JaKa MM, Evenson KR, Buchowski MS, Barkin SL. Novel patterns of physical activity in a large sample of preschool-aged children. BMC Public Health. 2018 Feb 13;18(1):242. doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-5135-0.

  PMID: 29439704 DERIVED

• Sherwood NE, French SA, Veblen-Mortenson S, Crain AL, Berge J, Kunin-Batson A, Mitchell N, Senso M. NET-Works: Linking families, communities and primary care to prevent obesity in preschool-age children. Contemp Clin Trials. 2013 Nov;36(2):544-54. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2013.09.015. Epub 2013 Oct 9.

  PMID: 24120933 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Pediatric Obesity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Obesity; Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Simone A French, PhD

  University of Minnesota

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Nancy E Sherwood, PhD

  University of Minnesota

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: FACTORIAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 23, 2012
• First Posted: May 28, 2012
• Study Start: June 1, 2012
• Primary Completion: March 21, 2017
• Study Completion: March 21, 2017
• Last Updated: October 15, 2018

Record last verified: 2018-10

Locations

US (1)