Expanding Health System Intervention Through The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program Partnership

Expanding Reach of a Health System Intervention for Family Beverage Choice by Partnering With a Local WIC Program

Pilot test the health system-based intervention to improve family beverage choices and promote water consumption, engaging WIC nutritionists to augment the intervention with follow-up and counseling of families at regularly-scheduled WIC appointments in a small randomized trial among 30 WIC-enrolled families.

This is a pilot 2-arm randomized trial among 30 WIC enrolled families of children 6 months through 4 years old who currently over-consume sugary drinks. The study team will randomize families to either an intervention group, that will receive a behavioral intervention consisting of two educational videos, a water promotion toolkit, mobile phone app, series of educational phone calls and extra counseling from WIC nutritionists, or to a control group that will not receive this intervention. The study team will compare 6-month change in child and parental beverage consumption between groups. Exploratory analyses will examine child weight (kg) and Body Mass Index (BMI) z-score (BMIz) outcomes, and compare intervention effects across race/ethnic groups.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Child 6 months - 4 years old who receives health care attention at Wake Forest pediatric or family medicine practices
• Child enrolled in WIC
• Child consumes 2 or more SSB and/or fruit juice total per day
• Child with no chronic health condition
• Child has not seen nutritionist or visited our family-based weight management clinic in the past year
• Parent/caregiver who has not watch educational video "Get in the Zero Zone"
• Parent/caregiver has a smartphone and reliable internet
• Parent/caregiver able to communicate well in English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Child doesn't meet age criteria
• Child consumes less than 2 SSB and/or fruit juice total per day
• Child with a chronic health condition
• Child has seen nutritionist or visited our family-based weight management clinic in the past year
• Parent/caregiver has watched educational video "Get in the Zero Zone"
• Parent/caregiver has completed interview or usability test
• Parent/caregiver doesn't have a smartphone or reliable internet
• Parent/caregiver not able to communicate well in English