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.