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TOPLINE:

A 2-year telephone-based intervention providing nurse-led support calls and short message service (SMS) to mothers was associated with a reduced BMI in children aged up to 5 years, with the greatest benefit seen in those from lower-income families.

METHODOLOGY:

• Telehealth became crucial during the COVID pandemic when face-to-face health programs were suspended; however, evidence on the effectiveness of telephone- and SMS-based obesity interventions for preschool-aged children and their caregivers has been lacking.
• Researchers conducted an extension study of a clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a 2-year telephone-based intervention in reducing BMI and improving health behaviors among preschool-aged children.
• Originally, 662 mother-child pairs (children aged 2-3 years) were randomly assigned to receive either a five-stage, telephone-based support program, which included nurse-led calls, SMS, and a mailed booklet on healthy behaviors (intervention group), or mailouts with information unrelated to the intervention (control group).
• After the first year, the intervention group continued for a second year (when children were 3-4 years old), followed by a 1-year follow-up period (when children were 4-5 years old); the original group allocations were maintained throughout.
• The primary outcome was child BMI, measured at 3, 4, and 5 years of age. Secondary outcomes included child dietary behaviors, active playtime, screen time, and sleep duration.

TAKEAWAY:

• The intervention group had a significantly lower mean BMI than the control group for children aged 3-5 years (15.90 vs 16.20; mean difference [MD], -0.30; P = .039).
• The effect of the intervention group was more pronounced among lower-income families (MD, -0.57; P = .018).
• The intervention group was also associated with greater odds of meeting four or more dietary recommendations (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.70; P = .02), not eating in front of the television (aOR, 2.65; P < .0001), and not eating fast food (aOR, 1.67; P = .047) than the control group for children aged 3-5 years.

IN PRACTICE:

“Our study demonstrates the potential for telehealth in a preventive framework to improve obesity risk outcomes of preschool-aged children, particularly low-income children,” the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Li Ming Wen, Population Health Research & Evaluation Hub, Sydney Local Health District, Camperdown, Australia. It was published online in the International Journal of Obesity.

LIMITATIONS:

The generalizability of the findings was limited by the study location and participant demographics. Due to the COVID pandemic, the trial intervention and data collection were conducted pragmatically rather than ideally, which may have affected outcomes. Additionally, secondary outcomes were limited by mothers’ self-reporting.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council Partnership grant. The authors declared having no competing interests.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.