Healthy Homes/Healthy Kids Preschool

The pediatric primary care setting is a relatively untapped resource for addressing obesity prevention. The goals of this developmental study are to develop and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a primary care-based, preschool obesity prevention intervention integrating pediatrician counseling and a home-based program for parents of 2-4 year old children at risk for obesity. We propose to recruit 60 parent-child dyads from families of 2-4 year old at risk children (e.g., BMI between the 85th and 95th percentile for age and gender or a BMI between the 50th and 85th percentile and at least one overweight parent) and randomize each dyad to one of the following groups: (a) Healthy Eating/Physical Activity Intervention including brief pediatrician counseling regarding the child's current BMI%ile status, recommendations for home environmental changes to achieve a healthy weight gain trajectory, and home safety and injury risk reduction recommendations paired with a 6 month home-based program delivered via phone by a health behavior specialist to promote implementation of the obesity prevention home environmental strategies, or (b) General Health/Safety/Injury Prevention Contact Control Intervention: Families will receive the same brief counseling from their pediatrician paired with a 6 month home-based program delivered via phone by a health behavior specialist to promote implementation of the general health, safety and injury prevention home environmental strategies.

• Healthy Eating/Physical Activity Home-based Intervention: The "Busy Bodies/Better Bites" intervention arm will include brief pediatrician counseling regarding the child's current BMI percentile status, recommendations for home environmental changes to achieve a healthy weight gain trajectory, and home safety and injury risk reduction environmental recommendations paired with a 6 month home-based program delivered via phone by a masters-level health behavior specialist to promote implementation of the obesity prevention home environmental strategies.
• Safety/Injury Prevention Home-based Contact Control Intervention: The "Healthy Tots/Safe Spots" intervention arm will include the same brief counseling from the pediatrician paired with a 6 month home-based program delivered via phone by a masters-level health behavior specialist to promote implementation of the safety and injury prevention home environmental strategies.

Inclusion criteria

• BMI between the 85th and 95th percentile for age and gender or
• BMI between the 50th and 85th percentile and at least one overweight parent (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2)
• Receives care at a HealthPartners Clinic in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area

Exclusion criteria

• Children with the following chronic conditions: kidney disease, Type 1 diabetes, lupus, a thyroid condition, cancer or a chromosomal abnormality such as Down's syndrome or Turner's syndrome.
• Children who within the last six months or who those who are currently taking the following medications and took them or will be taking them for more than a month: Prednisone, Prednisolone and Decadron.
• Families who have limited English skills.
• Families who plan to move out of the metropolitan area within the next six months.