Human-centered designed communication tools for obesity prevention in early life

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Pediatrics
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Effective communication is crucial for upstream obesity treatment paradigms.
• Parental perceptions and communication preferences regarding early life obesity risk were previously identified.
• Co-designing messages and tools can facilitate parent/provider conversations on early life obesity prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To co-design communication messages and tools with parents and pediatricians for early life obesity prevention.
• To identify preferences for communicating obesity prevention during pediatric well visits.
• To foster parent/provider collaboration for children's healthy weight.

Main Methods:

• Co-design workshops were conducted with parents (children 0-24 months) and pediatricians.
• Human-centered design techniques (affinity diagraming, model building) informed communication strategies.
• Iterative refinement of prototype tools based on stakeholder feedback.

Main Results:

• Developed an exam room poster addressing infant feeding, sleep, and exercise misconceptions.
• Created a behavior change plan to enhance parent/provider collaboration on healthy weight.
• Included diverse parent and pediatrician participants in the co-design process.

Conclusions:

• A hands-on, collaborative co-design approach can enhance the uptake and usability of early life obesity interventions.
• Ensuring parents are central to prevention efforts improves intervention effectiveness.
• Co-designed tools facilitate crucial conversations for childhood obesity prevention.