Mothers and CareGivers Investing in Children Study 2.0

Obesity is a significant public health problem and risk begins early in life. In the US, over 19% of children ages 2-19 have obesity with 6% of these children classified with severe obesity. Obesity prevalence is lower among 2- to 5-year-old children (13.4%); however, by age 6, one in 5 children has obesity. Rapid weight gain over the first year of life is associated with overweight or obesity in toddlers and young children, which then tracks across the life course. It is critical to intervene on modifiable factors early in life to support healthy growth and prevent obesity. This trial is implemented across the first year in this population to support child diet quality, self-regulatory skills related to eating and growth to prevent obesity.

Interventions during the first year of life have been implemented to prevent child obesity. Most focus on breast and bottle feeding during the first 6 months or feeding across infancy. Few have demonstrated lasting effects beyond infancy on a relative body size measure that accounts for height such as BMIZ, and none have reported effects on long-term adiposity measured with a sensitive assessment tool or have successfully impacted long-term relative body size or adiposity. Further, prior RCTs have predominately been conducted via home visits. MAGIC 2.0 uses a virtual platform which will allows us to leverage the well-established effectiveness of home visiting to be accessible to caregivers with young children.

Inclusion criteria

• A singleton infant 3-9 weeks of age, born ≥37 weeks gestation.
• The mother and other caregiver must be at least 18 years of age.
• The infant must live with the mother.
• Lives within the Austin metropolitan area.
• English or Spanish speaking.
• The primary caregiver must identify as the mother.

Exclusion criteria

• Infant diagnosed with major physical disabilities and/or medical condition that affects feeding and growth, and/or born <37 weeks gestation.
• Infant experienced NICU stay >7 days.
• Twins, triplets, or other multiples.
• Mothers and/or other caregivers younger than 18 years old.
• Mothers that do not consent to being video recorded with their baby.
• Families that do not speak either English or Spanish will be excluded from this study. Families that only speak English or Spanish, or families that speak English or Spanish and another language, will be accepted.
• Do not plan to remain in Austin area for the next two years.