The community-based healthy-lifestyle intervention for rural preschools (CHIRP) study: design and methods

The CHIRP study is a two-arm, pilot randomized controlled trial assessing the effectiveness of a behavioral family weight management intervention in an important and at-risk population, overweight young children, 3 to 6 years of age, and their parents from underserved rural counties. Participants will include 96 parent-child dyads living in rural counties in north central Florida. Families will be randomized to one of two conditions: (a) behavioral family based intervention or (b) a waitlist control. Child and parent participants will be assessed at baseline (month 0), post-treatment (month 4), and follow-up (month 10). Assessments and intervention sessions will be held at the Cooperative Extension office in each participating rural county. The primary outcome measure is change in child body mass index (BMI) z-score. Additional key outcome measures include child dietary intake, physical activity, and parent BMI. This study is unique because (1) it is one of the few randomized controlled trails examining a behavioral family intervention to address healthy habits and improved weight status in young overweight and obese children, (2) addresses health promotion in rural settings, and (3) examines intervention delivery in real world community settings through the Cooperative Extension Service offices. If successful, this research has potential implications for medically underserved rural communities and preventative health services for young children and their families.