Grant: Project Grant

The WHO describes obesity in children under 5 as an 'exploding nightmare.' In Canada, the high rate of overweight (15%) and obesity (6%) among preschoolers is a significant public health concern. To halt the obesity epidemic, interventions must begin early in life. However, few successful models exist for early life obesity prevention, in large part because existing interventions had minimal family involvement. To overcome this limitation, we propose intervening within the home. A home-based approach engages the entire family and provides a tangible window into families' behaviours that are only an abstraction in clinic or community settings. The goal of this research is to test the impact of a home-based intervention designed to improve household routines related to obesity: family meals, sleep, physical activity, and screen time. To achieve this goal, we will examine whether preschool age children whose families receive - over 6-months - 4 motivational coaching home visits, weekly emails and behavioural supports, such as balls to promote physical activity (intervention group) have improved changes in their behaviours and weight outcomes as compared to children whose families receive 6 emails with general health information (control group). Costs, including medical costs and productivity losses experienced by the families, will also be compared between the 2 groups. This study will test a novel and promising approach to obesity prevention - an approach that engages young children and their families at home, where they eat, play, and sleep. Our interdisciplinary team with expertise in randomized trials, behaviour change, and health economics has partnered with knowledge users in public health and primary care to develop and deliver this intervention. As a result, this research could provide a sustainable model for early life obesity prevention, leading to long-term improvements in health and reductions in costs to the health care system and society as a whole.