Growing Healthy Together: Protocol for a randomized clinical trial using parent mentors for early childhood obesity intervention in a Latino community

Background: Latino children in the US experience high rates of obesity, increasing their risk of subsequent diabetes. There are few clinical trials among low-income, Latino families to test interventions that account for and address their unique situation. Methods/design: This trial, conducted in a Head Start (early childhood education) setting, randomly assigns children 2-5 years of age who have obesity by CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines (at least 95th percentile body mass index) and their parents to one of three conditions: (1) control, (2) parent mentor with an experimental curriculum, or (3) parent mentor with a standard curriculum (active control). We designed the experimental arm (2) using data from positive deviants: low-income, Latino families who had been successful in moving their child toward a healthy weight. Parent mentors are recruited and trained from the Head Start centers. Parent mentors then facilitate the teaching and coaching of parent-child dyads with weekly interactions over the course of a 6-month period. The primary outcome is change in adjusted body mass index z-score at the end of intervention and at 6 months post-intervention. Secondary outcomes include generalized self-efficacy, dietary intake, the home food environment, and reported physical activity. Discussion: This clinical trial contributes to the field by evaluating parent mentoring interventions that are potentially scalable for a population at high risk for continued obesity and subsequent morbidity and mortality. Trial registration: This trial was registered on October 31, 2017 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03330743).