Smile-Kids: Study on Complementary Feeding Transition

The importance of families in the development of infants is well documented. Previous studies found that the prevalence of overweight and obesity is growing concerns in Portugal (Padez, Fernandes, Mourão, Moreira, & Rosado, 2004) and in the world (Ogden et al., 2014). More, there is evidence that habits acquired in early life might track into adulthood (Lien, Lytle, & Klepp, 2001; Lytle, Seifert, Greenstein, & McGovern, 2000; te Velde, Twisk, & Brug, 2007). Therefore, there is a need to lock overweight and obesity in early childhood in order to contribute to health gains during the entire life cycle. The main purpose of this research is to evaluate the impact of an intervention program based on parenting skills and feeding practices, on infant's growth, development and adherence to new foods in early infancy

Methods: 58 infants, 4-12 months from 25 nursery schools participated in this randomized trial and were randomly allocated to intervention and control group. Infant outcomes were performed at baseline and post-intervention and included anthropometry, dietary assessment and temperament. In addition maternal and family outcomes such as anxiety, dietary intake were also assessed at both times.

An intervention program was developed and Implemented according to two terms: educators' training with the researchers and the intervention with parents and infants developed by trained educators. The training program was developed between December 2013 and February 2014, according to the topics of healthy eating and nutrition and development of the infant. The control group received the standard care.

It is expected that this intervention program is able to promote healthy feeding practices to parents and nursery teachers. The results will be disseminated to the stakeholders and policymakers that work closely to the topic of this study. This will include papers' publication, participation in national and international meetings, contributing to the advance of research in this health area.