NCT05159622

Water Up@ At Home: An Intervention to Replace Sugary Drinks With Water

Increasing Tap Water Drinking Behaviors Among Young Latino Children-(CentroNia)

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 92 (actual)
• Sponsor: George Washington University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study will test the preliminary effects of an intervention to reduce sugary drinks among low-income parents (n=38)(primary caregivers) and their young children (6 months-3 year olds) compared to a control group (n=38). The main outcome is behavioral: sugary drink consumption (self-reported servings/day) among parents and among their children (parent-reported servings/day). These outcomes are measured at baseline and immediately after the 12-week intervention. An exploratory aim will test if the intervention has a sustained behavioral effect and an effect on body mass index and waist circumference of the parents 12 months after baseline. Our mixed methods multi-phase approach includes a quantitative component (randomized controlled trial - Aim 1) and a qualitative component (in-depth interviews and focus groups- Aim 2) to test the effects of a behavioral intervention to replace sugary drinks with water at home.

Detailed description

Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) is a risk factor for obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Consumption of SSB begins at an early age and may have cumulative detrimental consequences to health later in life. There is an urgent need to facilitate reduction of SSB consumption among young children before this behavior becomes part of an unhealthy lifestyle. The public health recommendation to drink water instead of SSB does not consider the multiple barriers that underserved communities face when choosing a beverage in an environment with limited access to clean, palatable drinking water, and saturated with SSB promotion. Using a community participatory approach, the investigators developed an intervention, Water Up! at Home, which draws on theory and community experience to position parents as social models for their young children. The objective of the current proposal is to test the preliminary effects of this intervention to replace SSB with filtered tap water among low-income parents and their children (6 months-3 year olds). The working hypothesis is that by addressing sociocultural (via curriculum) and physical (via water filter) barriers, parents can reduce their own and their children's SSB consumption. The investigators will use a multiphase sequential mixed-methods design to integrate qualitative and quantitative findings. Aim 1) Partnering with an existing home visiting program of Early Head Start (EHS), the EHS staff will deliver the intervention to replace SSB with filtered tap water at home and test its effects using a randomized control trial. H1) Parents randomly assigned to the Water Up! at Home program (n=38) will see a net reduction of 0.5 servings/day of SSB compared with the control group at the end of the intervention (12 weeks). H2) Findings will show a similar reduction in SSB consumption among young children. Exploratory aim: 12 months after baseline, the investigators will explore changes on body mass index and waist circumference of parents. To assess the quality of program implementation, the investigators will use a summative process evaluation. Aim 2) To assess the psychosocial mediators of intervention effects and to understand why the program was or was not successful, the investigators will conduct 30 in-depth interviews with parents, segmented by whether they responded positively/negatively to the intervention. The investigators will also conduct two focus groups with Early Head Start staff (n=10) to describe the aspects of the intervention design, context, implementation and delivery that may affect program impact, its sustainability and practicability. The study addresses a novel paradigm that posits water security at home as a determinant of SSB consumption among low-income parents and their children.

Conditions

• Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Water Up! at Home	1: Addressing physical barriers to replace SSB with water at home: Participants will receive a personal, reusable bottle of water, a National Sanitation Foundation-certified water filter pitcher and one additional filter cartridge 2: Addressing sociocultural barriers to change individual perceptions: The curriculum has 6 topics delivered in 12 sessions: a) water for your health (diabetes/obesity among Latinos); b) health benefits of water vs. SSB, c) sugar content of SSB, d) safety \& affordability of filtered tap water vs. bottled beverages, e) access and promotion of SSB vs. water in your community, f) tips for improving water taste, perceived susceptibility, severity, costs and benefits. 3: Addressing sociocultural barriers to increase skills: During each session, participants will be asked to perform hands-on learning activities (e.g., measure sugar content in SSB, take pictures of themselves explaining to their family members the key messages of various lessons).

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-05-07
• Primary completion: 2021-07-12
• Completion: 2021-08-31
• First posted: 2021-12-16
• Last updated: 2023-02-13
• Results posted: 2023-02-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States