Smile-Kids: Study on Complementary Feeding Transition

The importance of families in the development of infants is well documented. Previous studies found that the prevalence of overweight and obesity is growing concerns in Portugal (Padez, Fernandes, Mourão, Moreira, & Rosado, 2004) and in the world (Ogden et al., 2014). More, there is evidence that habits acquired in early life might track into adulthood (Lien, Lytle, & Klepp, 2001; Lytle, Seifert, Greenstein, & McGovern, 2000; te Velde, Twisk, & Brug, 2007). Therefore, there is a need to lock overweight and obesity in early childhood in order to contribute to health gains during the entire life cycle. The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the impact of an intervention program based on parenting skills and feeding practices, on infant's growth, development and adherence to new foods in early infancy

Methods: 58 infants, 4-12 months from 25 nursery schools participated in this randomized trial and were randomly allocated to intervention and control group. Infant outcomes were performed at baseline and post-intervention and included anthropometry, dietary assessment and temperament. In addition maternal and family outcomes such as anxiety, dietary intake were also assessed at both times.

An intervention program was developed and Implemented according to two terms: educators' training with the researchers and the intervention with parents and infants developed by trained educators. The training program was developed between December 2013 and February 2014, according to the topics of healthy eating and nutrition and development of the infant. The control group received the standard care.

It is expected that this intervention program is able to promote healthy feeding practices to parents and nursery teachers. The results will be disseminated to the stakeholders and policymakers that work closely to the topic of this study. This will include papers' publication, participation in national and international meetings, contributing to the advance of research in this health area.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Health Promotion; Infant; Nursery; Educators
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Intervention taught by trained educators

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 53
• Phase: Not Applicable

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 4 months to 1 year (CHILD)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Infants with 4-12 months

Exclusion Criteria:

• Infants with disability

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: PREVENTION
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: TRIPLE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental group; Received the intervention program.	Behavioral: Intervention taught by trained educators
No Intervention: Control group; received the standard care

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Weight of the infant	Weight was measured with no clothes and no shoes, using standardized procedures,	4 months up to 12 months of age
Length of the infant	Length was measured according to standardized procedures.	4 months up to 12 months of age
Body Mass Index (BMI) of the infant	BMI was computed as the ratio weight/length2	4 months up to 12 months of age

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Dietary intake of infants	We used a questionnaires (2 day food record) to have data of dietary intake.	4 months up to 12 months of age
Temperament of the infant	Temperament was gathered with a questionnaire.	4 months up to 12 months of age
Family characteristics	Characteristics of infants´family, with a questionnaire about family income and dietary intake (Frequency Feeding Questionnaire)	4 months up to 12 months of age

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Minho

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Padez C, Fernandes T, Mourao I, Moreira P, Rosado V. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in 7-9-year-old Portuguese children: trends in body mass index from 1970-2002. Am J Hum Biol. 2004 Nov-Dec;16(6):670-8. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.20080.
• Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Flegal KM. Prevalence of obesity in the United States. JAMA. 2014 Jul;312(2):189-90. doi: 10.1001/jama.2014.6228. No abstract available.
• Lien N, Lytle LA, Klepp KI. Stability in consumption of fruit, vegetables, and sugary foods in a cohort from age 14 to age 21. Prev Med. 2001 Sep;33(3):217-26. doi: 10.1006/pmed.2001.0874.
• Lytle LA, Seifert S, Greenstein J, McGovern P. How do children's eating patterns and food choices change over time? Results from a cohort study. Am J Health Promot. 2000 Mar-Apr;14(4):222-8. doi: 10.4278/0890-1171-14.4.222.
• te Velde SJ, Twisk JW, Brug J. Tracking of fruit and vegetable consumption from adolescence into adulthood and its longitudinal association with overweight. Br J Nutr. 2007 Aug;98(2):431-8. doi: 10.1017/S0007114507721451. Epub 2007 Apr 16. Erratum In: Br J Nutr. 2007 Oct;98(4):871.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: May 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): July 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): July 1, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 13, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 17, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): October 20, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): October 20, 2015
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 17, 2015
• Last Verified: October 1, 2015

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: Smile-kids