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Effects of a multipronged beverage intervention on young children's beverage intake and weight: a cluster-randomized
Anna H Grummon1,2, Michael D Cabana3,4,5, Amelie A Hecht6
1Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Insights
A pilot program encouraging healthier drinks reduced unhealthy beverage intake in young children and showed a trend toward decreased overweight status. Findings suggest comprehensive interventions can improve child nutrition and weight outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Public Health Interventions
- Childhood Obesity Prevention
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern.
- Dietary habits, including beverage consumption, are established early in life.
- Targeting young children and their environment is crucial for long-term health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of a multipronged intervention on young children's at-home beverage consumption.
- To evaluate the intervention's effect on the weight status of children aged 2-5 years.
- To explore the feasibility of a childcare-centered approach to promoting healthier beverage choices.
Main Methods:
- An exploratory pilot study involving four childcare centers randomly assigned to intervention or control groups.
- A 12-week intervention promoting water and milk, while discouraging juices and sugar-sweetened beverages.
- Outcomes measured included at-home beverage intake (parental report) and overweight/obesity status (measured height/weight) in 154 children.
Main Results:
- Intervention group children significantly reduced less-healthy beverage consumption by 5.9 oz/day.
- A trend towards increased healthier beverage consumption was observed in the intervention group.
- The intervention group showed a 6 percentage point decrease in the likelihood of being overweight compared to the control group.
Conclusions:
- Comprehensive interventions promoting healthier beverages can positively influence children's intake and weight status.
- Childcare settings are effective venues for implementing nutrition-focused interventions.
- Further research with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods is warranted to confirm these findings.
Objective:
To evaluate whether a multipronged pilot intervention promoting healthier beverage consumption improved at-home beverage consumption and weight status among young children.
Design:
In this exploratory pilot study, we randomly assigned four childcare centres to a control (delayed-intervention) condition or a 12-week intervention that promoted consumption of healthier beverages (water, unsweetened low- or non-fat milk) and discouraged consumption of less-healthy beverages (juice, sugar-sweetened beverages, high-fat or sweetened milk). The multipronged intervention was delivered via childcare centres; simultaneously targeted children, parents and childcare staff; and included environmental changes, policies and education. Outcomes were measured at baseline and immediately post-intervention and included children's (n 154) at-home beverage consumption (assessed via parental report) and overweight/obese status (assessed via objectively measured height and weight). We estimated intervention impact using difference-in-differences models controlling for children's demographics and classroom.
Setting:
Two northern California cities, USA, 2013-2014.
Participants:
Children aged 2-5 years and their parents.
Results:
Relative to control group children, intervention group children reduced their consumption of less-healthy beverages from baseline to follow-up by 5·9 ounces/d (95 % CI -11·2, -0·6) (-174·5 ml/d; 95 % CI -331·2, -17·7) and increased their consumption of healthier beverages by 3·5 ounces/d (95 % CI -2·6, 9·5) (103·5 ml/d; 95 % CI -76·9, 280·9). Children's likelihood of being overweight decreased by 3 percentage points (pp) in the intervention group and increased by 3 pp in the control group (difference-in-differences: -6 pp; 95 % CI -15, 3).
Conclusions:
Our exploratory pilot study suggests that interventions focused comprehensively on encouraging healthier beverage consumption could improve children's beverage intake and weight. Findings should be confirmed in longer, larger studies.