The long-term goal of this community based participatory research project is to prevent obesity in 3-5 year old Alaska Native children in remote communities. Investigators will design and evaluate a culturally responsive, home-focused intervention, Tundra Gifts, that links early childhood education programming (i.e. Head Start) and federal food assistance programs (i.e. WIC and SNAP) with primary caregivers to support healthy eating and an active lifestyle using a cluster-randomized design. The intervention integrates behavior change theory with Indigenous traditional knowledge. Primary caregivers will attend monthly interactive education session, receive a monthly gift basket that includes resources and supplies to support behavior change at home and receive ongoing social support through a Facebook site. Investigators will also evaluate key process indicators of Tundra Gifts to understand the impact on outcomes of variations in persons and settings and to enhance the generalizability of findings.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
500
Tundra Gifts is a home-focused intervention delivered by community health workers (CHW) that focuses on promoting healthy eating and an active lifestyle among 3-5 year olds through family and community partnerships. Primary caregivers will attend monthly interactive education session, receive a monthly gift basket that includes resources and supplies to support behavior change at home and receive ongoing social support through a Facebook site.
Change in age- and sex-specific BMI percentiles and z-scores
Time frame: twice annually for 3 years
Change in child intake of vegetables and fruit
24-hour recall in combination with a 2-day food record
Time frame: twice annually for 3 years
Change in child intake of vegetables and fruit
Skin carotenoid meter using reflection spectroscopy (veggie-meter)
Time frame: twice annually for 3 years
Change in child intake of sugar sweetened beverages
Hair biomarker of sugar using N and C stable isotope ratios
Time frame: twice annually for 3 years
Change in child intake of sugar sweetened beverages
24-hour recall in combination with a 2-day food record
Time frame: twice annually for 3 years
Change in child screen time
Screen time questionnaire
Time frame: twice annually for 3 years
Change in child physical activity
Physical activity questionnaire
Time frame: twice annually for 3 years
Change in adult attitudes and beliefs around healthy eating and active lifestyle
Attitudes and beliefs questionnaire
Time frame: twice annually for 3 years
Change in adult BMI
Time frame: twice annually for 3 years
Change in adult intake of vegetables and fruit
skin carotenoid meter using reflection spectroscopy (veggie-meter)
Time frame: twice annually for 3 years
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