UC awarded $985K NIH grant to prevent infant obesity

To help close that gap, the University of Cincinnati has received a $985,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to test a community-based intervention aimed at promoting healthy eating and feeding practices for children 0-12 months. 

The project is in collaboration with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the nonprofit organization Every Child Succeeds (ECS), which provides comprehensive home visiting services to optimize child health and development for families from low-income backgrounds.

Cathy Stough, a pediatric psychologist in UC’s Department of Psychology and director of the Healthy Bearcat Families Lab, will serve as principal investigator on the project.

“Infants from low-income families are at increased risk for obesity, but obesity prevention programs tailored specifically to the needs of these infants are lacking,” Stough says, explaining that infants from low-income families experience unique barriers and contributory factors to obesity, such as higher rates of food insecurity and lower access to healthy food. Low-income mothers are also at increased risk for elevated stress and trauma, which she says can contribute to the intergenerational cycle of negative health outcomes.

The new program, called Healthy Eating for My Infant (HEMI), was co-developed with community members, ECS and local organizations to ensure it reflects families’ lived experiences.

HEMI provides monthly home visits with a health behavior coach focused on addressing both nutritional and mental health factors that contribute to obesity risk. The coach will provide parents with behavioral strategies such as healthy eating on a budget or meal planning, peer support, practical tools and learning to develop access to healthy foods.

The program also offers grocery delivery, supplemental food and visits with peer counselors who share similar backgrounds with participating mothers. Sessions with those counselors will focus on practical guidance and support for healthy eating and health behavior change, as well as social support and strategies for overcoming problem-solving barriers to reach goals for healthy eating.

“Our team developed the program to address the specific obesity risk factors, barriers to health behaviors and needs articulated by community members and low-income families,” says Stough.

The NIH-funded study will enroll 60 infants and their families to test HEMI’s feasibility, acceptability and preliminary impact compared to standard home visiting services. Researchers will examine changes in infant growth, diet quality, food security and maternal well-being.

“Community-engaged research increases the rigor, relevance and sustainability of interventions,” Stough said. “By involving families at every stage, we can build programs that truly promote healthy outcomes across all communities.”

Findings from this project will lay the groundwork for a larger clinical trial and help inform scalable solutions for prevention of obesity among infants from low-income families.

“Our hope,” Stough said, “is to help families build a foundation for healthy eating and development during one of the most critical periods of life.”

Featured photo at top courtesy of iStock Photo/PeopleImages.