The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of a new curriculum on toddlers' self-regulation skills and healthy eating habits. The curriculum is being delivered as part of Early Head Start home visits and compared to the effectiveness of usual practice Early Head Start home visits.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
244
Home visitors teach parents about children's self-regulation skills and healthy eating habits. The home visitors then teach parents how to sensitively scaffold the development of their toddlers' self-regulation skills in the context of cooking and snack preparation lessons. Prior research shows that self-regulation skills in early childhood predict long-term health indicators, such as BMI. Prior research also shows that children who are involved in the preparation of healthier foods are more likely to eat them.
Home visitors will continue to deliver usual practice Early Head Start home visits that follow a standard curriculum and are tailored on an ongoing basis to meet individual family needs.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Change in children's healthy eating habits: Body mass index
Healthy eating habits will be assessed through change in body mass index
Time frame: Baseline / up to 18 months
Change in children's healthy eating habits: Food diaries
Healthy eating habits will be assessed through change in consumption of fruits/vegetables and junk food, as assessed with 24-hour food diaries
Time frame: Baseline / up to 18 months
Change in children's healthy eating habits: Parent reports
Healthy eating habits will be assessed through parent survey of pickiness, etc.; mean scores reported from 5-point Likert scales with higher scores indicating healthier eating habits
Time frame: Baseline / up to 18 months
Change in children's self-control skills: Direct testing
Children's self-control skills will be assessed through direct testing (e.g., snack delay task)
Time frame: Baseline / up to 18 months
Change in children's self-control skills: Video interactions
Children's self-control skills will be assessed through parent-child interactions, rated on Likert scale from video recordings; mean score reported between 1 = almost never and 5 = almost always
Time frame: Baseline / up to 18 months
Change in children's self-control skills: Parent ratings
Children's self-control skills will be assessed through parent ratings on standardized behavior checklists; mean scores reported from 3- or 5-point Likert scales with higher scores indicating greater self-control
Time frame: Baseline / up to 18 months
Change in parents' sensitive/responsiveness: Video interactions
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Parents' sensitive/responsiveness will be assessed through parent-child interactions, rated on Likert scale from video recordings; mean score reported between 1 = almost never and 5 = almost always
Time frame: Baseline / up to 18 months
Change in parents' sensitive/responsiveness: Parent ratings
Parents' sensitive/responsiveness will be assessed through parent ratings on standardized surveys; mean scores reported from 5-point Likert scales with higher scores indicating greater sensitive/responsiveness
Time frame: Baseline / up to 18 months
Change in children's sleep habits: Parent reports
Sleep habits will be assessed through parent survey; mean scores reported from 5-point Likert scales with higher scores indicating better sleep habits
Time frame: Baseline / up to 18 months