Back to Basics: Addressing Childhood Obesity Through Traditional Foods in Alaska

NCT03601299 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: 5RO1NRO15417-02
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 416
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Back to Basics is a mixed-methods intervention trial to reduce the prevalence of obese Alaska Native children by increasing the proportion of nutrient-dense traditional and non-traditional foods consumed, and decreasing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). This 5-year intervention trial targeting 0-5 year olds is conducted in partnership with Rural Community Action Program, Inc. (RCAP) Head Start (HS), Early Head Start (EHS), and Parents as Teachers (PAT) programs in 12 rural Alaskan communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim (YK) region, where each site is assigned to either a 9-month nutritional education and meal program intervention or a standard education and meal program repeating annually. This intervention trial aims to increase consumption of local traditional foods and nutrient-dense non-traditional foods, decrease SSB consumption, and decrease prevalence of obesity in children 3-5 years old by: (1) adjusting the nutritional content of existing meal services provided by RCAP to children ages 3-5 years; (2) providing culturally relevant nutrition education to families of children 0-5 years; (3) developing local and community driven initiatives that provide knowledge and skills and engage families in the gathering and preparing of local traditional foods; and (4) incorporating available and emerging resources (e.g. Fish/Farm-to- Schools) to increase integration of traditional foods into the diet. Phase 1 involves the collection and analysis of formative and baseline data to help guide the intervention in Phase 2. Phase 1 includes:

1. 1.Gathering baseline height/weight and food/SSB consumption data previously collected on children ages 0-5 years enrolled in YK RCAP programs.
2. 2.Conducting formative studies in the 12 YK communities to better understand attitudes towards childhood obesity and barriers/enablers to traditional foods consumption
3. 3.Creating/integrating a traditional foods-focused nutrition curriculum into RCAP menu programs in YK communities.
4. 4.A physical activity curriculum in HS programs in all communities
5. 5.A traditional food in HS menu program in intervention communities
6. 6.A home-based nutrition program in intervention communities
7. 7.A mechanism to document traditional foods important to each community

Conditions

Obesity

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Body Mass Index (BMI)

  Change in Proportion of AN children 3-5 years old with a BMI greater than or equal to the 95th percentile

  Measured annually over 4 years of intervention

• Traditional food content

  Change in Percentage of total calories derived from traditional foods

  Measured annually over 4 years of intervention

Study Arms (2)

Traditional food arm

EXPERIMENTAL

Traditional food-focused menu

Other: Traditional food

Non-intervention arm

NO INTERVENTION

Standard RurAL CAP menu

Interventions

Traditional food OTHER

Increasing traditional food consumption through Head start programs in Alaska

Traditional food arm

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 0 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• for the Focus Group Discussions: Consenting Alaska Native residents of the 12 communities involved in the study, aged 18 and over.
• for the intervention study: Upon parental or guardian consent, Alaska Native residents of the 12 communities involved in the study, aged 0-5 years and enrolled in the RurAL CAP Head start, Early Head start, or Parents as Teachers, programs

You may not qualify if:

• None

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium: lead
• Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc. (RurAL CAP): collaborator
• University of Alaska Fairbanks: collaborator
• University of Alaska Anchorage: collaborator
• Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

Anchorage, Alaska, 99508, United States

Location

Related Publications (3)

• Ohle KA, Koller KR, Walch AK, Lee FR, Palmer L, Nu J, Thomas TK. Alaska Native Parents' Decision-Making About Food, Beverages, and Screen Time for Young Children: Formative Insights From the "Got Neqpiaq?" Project. Fam Community Health. 2023 Oct-Dec 01;46(4):250-258. doi: 10.1097/FCH.0000000000000370.

  PMID: 37703513 DERIVED

• Hill CM, Paschall MJ, Koller KR, Day GM, Lee FR, O'Brien DM, King DK, Palmer L, Thomas TK, Bersamin A. Obesity Prevalence and Dietary Factors Among Preschool-Aged Head Start Children in Remote Alaska Native Communities: Baseline Data from the "Got Neqpiaq?" Study. Child Obes. 2023 Oct;19(7):498-506. doi: 10.1089/chi.2022.0143. Epub 2022 Dec 5.

  PMID: 36473164 DERIVED

• Koller KR, Flanagan CA, Nu J, Lee FR, Desnoyers C, Walch A, Alexie L, Bersamin A, Thomas TK. Storekeeper perspectives on improving dietary intake in 12 rural remote western Alaska communities: the "Got Neqpiaq?" project. Int J Circumpolar Health. 2021 Jan 1;80(1):1961393. doi: 10.1080/22423982.2021.1961393.

  PMID: 34350814 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Obesity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

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

Study Officials

• Timothy K Thomas, MD

  Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Kathy Koller, PhD

  Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 14, 2018
• First Posted: July 26, 2018
• Study Start: May 14, 2018
• Primary Completion: April 30, 2023
• Study Completion: July 31, 2023
• Last Updated: July 31, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-07

Locations

US (1)