Developing New Approaches to Promote Healthy Eating in Young Children and Families

Health disparities and risk for obesity begin early in life, including during infancy. To address this issue, Catherine Stough, PhD, from the University of Cincinnati, obtained an R21 grant from the National Institute on Nursing Research to develop an intervention for young children in home visiting. In collaboration with scientists in Every Child Succeeds, we are developing HEMI (Healthy Eating for My Infant), an obesity prevention program delivered to families in Every Child Succeeds when children are 3-9 months of age. We are currently completing qualitative group level need assessments with Every Child Succeeds families, home visitors, board members, and other community members (e.g., staff from WIC) to assess their input and feedback for developing the intervention. By the end of August 2021, we will complete these need assessments and will build the program based on the input and feedback obtained during these assessments. In early 2022, we will begin pilot testing the program with 30 infants and their families while examining whether the program results in changes to growth trajectories, child diet, and parent feeding practices.