NCT03505203

Brief Summary

Rapid weight gain during infancy is a powerful, and potentially malleable, risk factor for later overweight and obesity, but limited research has examined the impact of promising interventions when applied to the groups most at risk for rapid weight gain in infancy. The present study examines whether providing mothers of newborns with responsive parenting guidance during the first weeks of life to promote infant sleep and soothing can reduce rapid weight gain for African American infants born in low SES contexts.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
234

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Mar 2018

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

March 4, 2018

Completed
1 month until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

April 3, 2018

Completed
20 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

April 23, 2018

Completed
3.2 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

July 5, 2021

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

July 5, 2021

Completed
Last Updated

February 6, 2025

Status Verified

October 1, 2022

Enrollment Period

3.3 years

First QC Date

April 3, 2018

Last Update Submit

February 3, 2025

Conditions

Keywords

Responsive parentingMother-child relationsInfant feedingInfant sleepingInfant obesity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Change in infants' weight for age from 3 weeks to 16 weeks (conditional weight gain)

    Standardized residuals from the linear regression of weight for age at 16 weeks on weight for age at 3 weeks, with length for age at birth and 16 weeks and infant age at the 16-week assessment entered as covariates

    3 weeks to 16 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (4)

  • Change in infants' weight for age

    3 weeks to 16 weeks

  • Weight-for-age z scores

    16 weeks

  • Weight-for-length z scores

    16 weeks

  • Infant BMI z scores

    16 weeks

Other Outcomes (16)

  • Maternal report of infant sleep at 8 weeks

    8 weeks

  • Maternal report of infant sleep at 16 weeks

    16 weeks

  • Maternal sleep actigraphy

    8 weeks postpartum

  • +13 more other outcomes

Study Arms (2)

Sleep Soothe

EXPERIMENTAL

An intervention in which parents are given information on how to respond to their baby's cues related to sleeping and fussiness.

Behavioral: Sleep Soothe

Sleep Safe

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

An intervention in which parents are given information on a safe sleep environment, as well as other strategies to keep baby safe

Behavioral: Sleep Safe

Interventions

Sleep SootheBEHAVIORAL

An intervention in which parents are given information on how to respond to their baby's cues related to sleeping and fussiness.

Sleep Soothe
Sleep SafeBEHAVIORAL

An intervention in which parents are given information on a safe sleep environment, as well as other strategies to keep baby safe.

Sleep Safe

Eligibility Criteria

Age17 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsChild (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Infant \> 37 0/7 weeks gestational age, apparently healthy and without significant morbidity
  • Singleton infant
  • Nursery/NICU/maternity stay of 7 days or less
  • Mother at least 17 years of age
  • Mother self-identifies as African American
  • Mother is primiparous

You may not qualify if:

  • Non-English speaking
  • Infant birth weight \<2500 grams
  • Presence of a congenital anomaly or neonatal physical or metabolic condition that significantly affects a newborn's feeding (e.g. cleft lip, cleft palate, metabolic disease)
  • Any major maternal morbidities, pre-existing condition that would affect postpartum care or her ability to care for her newborn (e.g., narcotic drug use: heroin, cocaine, meth, pain pills, etc; on chemotherapy; uncontrolled MS; uncontrolled depression causing social service contact).
  • Plan for newborn to be adopted
  • Plan to move from area within four months of delivery
  • Residence further than 75 miles from Augusta, GA

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia, 30602, United States

Location

Related Publications (11)

  • Lavner JA, Hohman EE, Beach SRH, Stansfield BK, Savage JS. Effects of a Responsive Parenting Intervention Among Black Families on Infant Sleep: A Secondary Analysis of the Sleep SAAF Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2023 Mar 1;6(3):e236276. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.6276.

    PMID: 37000448BACKGROUND
  • Hohman EE, Savage JS, Stansfield BK, Lavner JA. Sleep SAAF Responsive Parenting Intervention for Black Mothers Impacts Response to Infant Crying: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Acad Pediatr. 2024 Jan-Feb;24(1):97-104. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2023.04.012. Epub 2023 May 5.

    PMID: 37148966BACKGROUND
  • Hart AR, Beach SRH, Hart CN, Smith JJ, Stansfield BK, Lavner JA. Responsive parenting and Black mothers' postpartum sleep: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Health Psychol. 2024 Jun;43(6):438-447. doi: 10.1037/hea0001363. Epub 2024 Feb 8.

    PMID: 38330306BACKGROUND
  • Weber DM, Bryant CM, Williamson HC, Mussa K, Lavner JA. Predictors of change in relationship satisfaction among Black postpartum mothers. Fam Process. 2024 Jun;63(2):768-787. doi: 10.1111/famp.12990. Epub 2024 Mar 28.

    PMID: 38548477BACKGROUND
  • Weber DM, Williamson HC, Bryant CM, Mussa KS, Lavner JA. Patterns and predictors of change in relationship status among Black mothers over 16 weeks postpartum. J Fam Psychol. 2024 Aug;38(5):751-762. doi: 10.1037/fam0001238. Epub 2024 Jun 17.

    PMID: 38884990BACKGROUND
  • Adesogan O, Beach SRH, Carter SE, Metzger IW, Lavner JA. Effects of a responsive parenting intervention on Black mothers' depressive symptoms postpartum: Secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2024 Dec;92(12):828-835. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000926.

    PMID: 39715425BACKGROUND
  • Moore AM, Smith JJ, Stansfield BK, Savage JS, Lavner JA. Patterns and Predictors of Breast Milk Feeding from Birth to Age 4 Months among Primiparous African American Mother-Infant Dyads. Nutrients. 2022 Jun 4;14(11):2350. doi: 10.3390/nu14112350.

    PMID: 35684150BACKGROUND
  • Lavner JA, Savage JS, Stansfield BK, Beach SRH, Marini ME, Smith JJ, Sperr MC, Anderson TN, Hernandez E, Moore AM, Caldwell AL, Birch LL. Effects of the Sleep SAAF responsive parenting intervention on rapid infant weight gain: A randomized clinical trial of African American families. Appetite. 2022 Aug 1;175:106080. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2022.106080. Epub 2022 May 13.

    PMID: 35577176BACKGROUND
  • Hernandez E, Lavner JA, Moore AM, Stansfield BK, Beach SRH, Smith JJ, Savage JS. Sleep SAAF responsive parenting intervention improves mothers' feeding practices: a randomized controlled trial among African American mother-infant dyads. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2022 Oct 1;19(1):129. doi: 10.1186/s12966-022-01366-1.

    PMID: 36183135BACKGROUND
  • Lavner JA, Stansfield BK, Beach SRH, Brody GH, Birch LL. Sleep SAAF: a responsive parenting intervention to prevent excessive weight gain and obesity among African American infants. BMC Pediatr. 2019 Jul 5;19(1):224. doi: 10.1186/s12887-019-1583-7.

    PMID: 31277694BACKGROUND
  • Hart AR, Beach SRH, Hart CN, Metzger IW, Lavner JA. Effects of contextual stress on Black mothers' self-reported and actigraph-estimated postpartum sleep. Sleep. 2025 Jul 11;48(7):zsaf023. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsaf023.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Weight GainPediatric Obesity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Body Weight ChangesBody WeightSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsObesityOverweightOvernutritionNutrition DisordersNutritional and Metabolic Diseases

Study Officials

  • Justin A Lavner, Ph.D.

    University of Georgia

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
PREVENTION
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Model Details: Participants will be assigned to one of two conditions: (1) Sleep Soothe (responsive parenting), where parents are given information on how to respond to their baby's cues related to sleeping and fussiness, and (2) Sleep Safe (safety control), where parents are given information on a safe sleep environment, as well as other strategies they can use to keep their baby safe.
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

April 3, 2018

First Posted

April 23, 2018

Study Start

March 4, 2018

Primary Completion

July 5, 2021

Study Completion

July 5, 2021

Last Updated

February 6, 2025

Record last verified: 2022-10

Locations