Healthy Habits, Happy Homes: An Intervention to Improve Household Routines for Obesity Prevention

While childhood obesity rates may have plateaued in some US population subgroups, such as
whites and those of higher socioeconomic status, overall rates of obesity remain high and
racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities appear to be widening. Among the most promising
approaches for childhood obesity prevention and management are interventions that begin early
in life and that support change at the individual and community levels.

The goal of this project is to develop and test an intervention delivered to racial/ethnic
minority and low income parents of 2-5 year old children in their homes, designed to promote
adoption of household routines and parenting strategies that are preventive of obesity. To
achieve this goal, the investigators will work with community health centers in Boston,
Cambridge, and Somerville to recruit families to participate in an individual-level
randomized controlled trial. The investigators partner community health centers include the
Roxbury Comprehensive Community Health Center, Dimock Community Health Centers, and the
Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA).

Participants will be randomized to receive either 1) mailed educational materials for the
duration of the 6-month program (control), or 2) home-based health coaching visits and phone
calls with a health educator, text messages, and educational materials promoting the adoption
of household routines and target behaviors (intervention).

The investigators goal is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the investigators
designed intervention (as compared to the control condition) using baseline and
post-intervention data. In order to do so, the investigators will assess change from baseline
to post-intervention in the investigators key behavioral outcomes of interest, including
adoption of three household routines:

1. Regularly eating meals together as a family

2. Obtaining adequate sleep

3. Limiting screen-viewing time