The CHALO! Study Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial to Reduce Risk of Childhood Dental Caries and Obesity

(1) Background: Obesity and dental caries disproportionately affect low-income South Asian (SA) immigrant children in the US. This CHALO! study aimed to reduce the risk of obesity and oral health risk in young SA children in the US. (2) Methods: CHALO! is a randomized controlled trial. A total of 350 low-income Bangladeshi mothers of 6-month-old children were recruited and randomized to intervention or control. Intervention participants received six home visits and six phone calls from trained community health workers who delivered health education and support. The primary outcome was frequency of combined bottle/sippy cup use over 18 months measured via self-report. Secondary outcomes included sugar consumption, maternal feeding practices, oral hygiene practices, and dental utilization measured via self-report. Secondary clinical outcomes included the presence of dental caries at follow-up (12 months post baseline) assessed through intra-oral camera, and obesity risk, measured as weight gain velocity, at each 6-month period. (3) Results: Bottle/sippy-cup use increased less in the intervention group (Poisson rate ratio = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.34-0.39, p < 0.0001) vs. controls (Poisson rate ratio = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.56-0.61), and while consistent results were noted in sugar consumption, oral hygiene practices, dental visits, and other secondary outcomes, no difference was found in caries prevalence or weight gain velocity. (4) Conclusions: The intervention improved self-reported bottle use and child diet in the intervention group. There were no significant changes in caries prevalence or weight gain velocity. Social context, particularly social networks, may act as a barrier to adopting new healthy behaviors, impacting changes in caries and obesity outcomes.