Teaching Parents About Responsive Feeding Through a Vicarious Learning Video: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Area of Science:

• Child Nutrition
• Behavioral Science
• Health Education

Background:

• Responsive feeding (RF) is recommended by major health organizations to foster healthy eating habits in early childhood.
• Existing methods for teaching RF practices to parents may be limited in reach and engagement.
• Innovative approaches are needed to effectively disseminate RF knowledge and skills to parents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a vicarious learning video intervention designed to teach parents responsive feeding (RF) practices.
• To assess the impact of the video on parental knowledge and beliefs regarding RF.
• To explore the relationship between engagement with the video and changes in parental knowledge and beliefs.

Main Methods:

• A responsive feeding (RF) vicarious learning video, "Happier Meals," was created using community-based participatory research.
• Fifty parents of preschoolers were randomized to view the "Happier Meals" video or a control educational video.
• Parental knowledge and beliefs about RF were assessed pre- and post-intervention; engagement and acceptability were also measured.

Main Results:

• Parents who watched the "Happier Meals" video showed significant increases in RF knowledge compared to the control group (p = .03).
• Experimental group participants demonstrated decreased positive beliefs about some unresponsive feeding practices (ps < .05).
• Greater narrative engagement with the video correlated with more substantial knowledge and belief changes (ps < .05).

Conclusions:

• The developed vicarious learning video, "Happier Meals," shows preliminary effectiveness in educating parents about responsive feeding (RF).
• Community-based participatory research was crucial for creating a relevant and acceptable educational tool.
• The video is a freely accessible resource for parents and health workers to promote healthy early childhood eating behaviors.