Objective-The High 5 for Preschool Kids (H5-KIDS) program tested the effectiveness of a home based intervention to teach parents how to ensure a positive fruit-vegetable (FV) environment for their preschool child, and to examine whether changes in parent behavior were associated with improvements in child intake. Results-When compared to control parents, H5-KIDS parents reported an increase in FV servings (MN=.20, p=.05), knowledge and availability of FV within the home (p=.01), and decreased their use of noncoercive feeding practices (p=.02). Among preschoolers, FV servings increased in normal weight (MN=.35, p=.02) but not overweight children (MN=-.10, p=.48), relative to controls. Parent's change in FV servings was a significant predictor of child's change in FV in the H5-KIDS group (p=.001). Methods Conclusion-H5-KIDSsuggests the need for, and promise of, early home intervention for childhood obesity prevention. It demonstrates the importance of participatory approaches in developing externally valid interventions, with the potential for dissemination across national parent education programs as a means for improving the intake of parents and young children.

No abstract

No abstract

Unmet social needs—including food, housing, and utilities—have been associated with negative health outcomes, but most prior research has examined the health associations with a single unmet need or analyzed samples that were homogeneous along one or more dimensions (e.g., older adults or patients with chronic health conditions). We examined the association between unmet social needs and psychosocial and health-related outcomes in a sample of Medicaid beneficiaries from 35 U.S. states. In 2016-2017, 1,214 people completed an online survey about social needs, demographics, and health-related and psychosocial outcomes. Seven items assessing social needs formed an index in which higher scores indicated higher levels of unmet needs. Participants were eligible if they were ≥18 years and had Medicaid. The sample was predominantly female (87%). Most (71%) lived with at least one child ≤18 years, and 49% were White and 33% were African American. Average age was 36 years (SD = 13). The most common unmet needs were not enough money for unexpected expenses (54%) and not enough space in the home (25%). Analyses controlling for recruitment method and demographics showed that increasing levels of unmet social needs were positively associated with stress, smoking, and number of chronic conditions, and negatively associated with future orientation, attitudes toward prevention, days of exercise/week, servings of fruits or vegetables/day, and self-rated health (all p < .01). Results add to the evidence about the relationship between unmet social needs and health. Interventions to help meet social needs may help low-income people improve both their economic situations and their health.

Introduction This study tested the impact of “Partners of all Ages Reading About Diet and Exercise” (PARADE), an energy balance intervention incorporated into child mentoring programs. Methods We used a group randomized nested cohort design which randomized mentoring program sites (n=112) and children (N = 296; age=8.5 years) to intervention or usual care conditions. PARADE mentors delivered 8 lesson plans, 8 child-focused computer-tailored storybooks, and 8 parent action support newsletters addressing positive diet and activity behavior patterns. Results When compared to the control group, PARADE children were more knowledgeable of diet and activity guidelines (p<0.01), challenged themselves more to eat 5 fruits and vegetables per day (p=0.04) and to be active one hour daily (p=0.02). Calories from high fat foods decreased in overweight/obese children (p=0.05) but not for normal weight children. There were no significant differences in percent time being active. Among parents there were no significant differences between PARADE and control groups. PARADE parents did report an increase in minutes of walking (p=.13) and modeling activity behaviors to their child (p=.12). Discussion PARADE motivated high needs children to develop healthy energy balance patterns. Children need to be supported by stronger parental involvement and behavior change in providing a positive food and activity environment. Conclusion PARADE provides evidence for the use of multi-component, community-based approaches to reach high risk children and their parents as a routine component of their mentoring experience.