Family Eats:Cancer Prevention for Families (Family Eats)

Poor diets lead to weight problems, and may increase cancer risk. Cancers may develop over a long period of time, with some possibly initiating in childhood. Therefore, promoting healthy diets and preventing excess weight gain during childhood could be cancer protective. Families influence children's dietary behaviors by their actions and controlling the home food environment. The internet provides family access to interventions with the convenience of the home. An eight-session interactive web-based program promoting a healthy home food environment for African-American families with 9-12 year old daughters (Family Eats) was previously developed and tested. This study tests whether the Family Eats web program improves diet and weight outcomes among 320 African-American families with 8-12 year old children. This important study will pioneer a new channel for behavior change intervention with African-American families and holds the promise of reaching large numbers of children and their families, enabling all to adopt healthy eating behaviors and achieve energy balance and reduce cancer risks.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Family Eats

Detailed Description

Although the burden of cancer is high among individuals of all ethnicities, ethnic differences in cancer incidence and mortality exist. African-Americans experience a higher incidence of certain cancers compared with the White population, with mortality rates at least 40% higher than other populations. Obesity, high fat, and low fruit (F) and vegetable (V) intakes increase cancer risks. Cancers may develop over a long period of time, with some possibly initiating in childhood; therefore, promoting FV and preventing excess weight gain during childhood could be cancer protective. Families influence children's dietary behaviors by direct modeling of dietary behaviors, parenting skills around food, and controlling the home food environment. However, few intervention studies have focused on family influences on dietary behaviors, particularly among ethnic minority groups which may differ in cultural and other aspects of family functioning. Unfortunately, low participation rates for community-based family interventions suggest that alternate intervention delivery systems be investigated. The internet provides family access within the convenience of the home. In a previous R21 application, the Principal Investigator developed an eight-session interactive web-based program promoting a healthy home food environment for African-American families with 9-12 year old daughters (Family Eats). Family Eats was evaluated for feasibility and changes in mediating variables were obtained. This proposal will test the efficacy of the Family Eats web program to improve FV and dietary fat behavior and weight outcomes among 320 AA families with 8-12 year old children. This important study will pioneer a new channel for behavior change intervention with African-American families and holds the promise of reaching large numbers of children and their families, enabling all to adopt healthy eating behaviors and achieve energy balance and reduce cancer risks.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 151
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
      • Children's Nutrition Research Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 8 years to 10 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• African -American families with 8-10 year old children
• Home computer with dsl line

Exclusion Criteria:

• Parents or children who report a medically prescribed diet, identified through a pre-screening questionnaire, will be excluded because these mothers may have received prior dietary counseling and have increased motivation for making dietary changes.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Family Eats; 8-session program on health eating	Other: Family Eats; 8-session web-based program on healthy eating for African American families
Active Comparator: Family eats- plain; Family eats without role model stories and goal setting	Other: Family Eats; 8-session web-based program on healthy eating for African American families

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Diet (fruit, vegetables, sweetened beverages, fat and calories)	baseline, post and 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
BMI	baseline, post and 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Baylor College of Medicine
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Karen W Cullen, DrPH, Baylor College of Medicine

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: September 1, 2009
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 1, 2012
• Study Completion (Actual): October 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 30, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 22, 2009
• First Posted (Estimate): September 24, 2009

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): March 20, 2015
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 18, 2015
• Last Verified: February 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: diet; web-based; African-American families
• Other Study ID Numbers: 124505-01A1; CA124505-01A1