NCT05334420

Efficacy Trial Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids for Hispanic Fathers and Children

Efficacy Trial of a Program for Weight Loss for Hispanic Fathers and Increased Physical Activity for Their Children: Healthy Dads, Healthy Kids

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 187 (actual)
• Sponsor: Baylor College of Medicine · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 5 Years – 65 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Hispanic men and children experience health disparities for overweight and obesity-related medical conditions, and therefore family level obesity prevention programs for Hispanic populations are needed. 'Healthy Dads Healthy Kids' is the first program to primarily target fathers for obesity prevention for themselves and their children, with significant and clinically relevant treatment effects. This is an efficacy trial to assess a culturally adapted 'Healthy Dads Healthy Kids' for Hispanic families.

Detailed description

Hispanics in the United States face health disparities for obesity and related medical conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Targeting families to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors has been identified as an effective strategy to prevent obesity. With the importance of familism (family cohesion) among the Hispanic population, a family based intervention is especially desirable as an engaging strategy to promote behaviors that support a healthy weight status and decrease obesity related health disparities for Hispanics. Emerging evidence supports the need to include and target fathers in family based lifestyle behavior interventions. Healthy Dads Healthy Kids (HDHK) is an evidence based program developed in Australia, shown to have significant weight and behavior treatment effects for fathers and their children, compared to controls. The HDHK program is based on Social Cognitive Theory and Family Systems Theory and aims to promote increased physical activity and improved dietary intake for fathers and their children. An important innovation in the program is that fathers and children attend together and are both targeted as agents of behavior change for each other (reciprocal reinforcement) and to participate in fun, family activities together. HDHK was culturally adapted for Hispanic families following the Ecological Validity Model by this research team, with input from a community Hispanic family panel, expert committee and the developer of the HDHK program. The resulting Papás Saludables, Niños Saludables (PSNS) program is a 10-week group-based intervention that meets weekly. This randomized controlled trial of PSNS is powered to detect a clinically meaningful change in father's weight and children's moderate to vigorous physical activity. The study will also assess other behavioral (dietary intake, sedentary time, screen media use, and parenting practices), psychosocial (familism, acculturation, and co-parenting alliance) and biological (child BMI z-score, father's non-HDL, HgbA1C, and BP) outcomes. Hispanic men with overweight or obesity who are a father figure (biological father, step father, grandfather, adult older brother, etc) to a 5-11 child will be enrolled in the study in waves. Participants are enrolled as a family unit and includes the father, child(ren) (up to 3 siblings) and mother/partner (if available). After screening and baseline data is complete for a wave, the family is randomized to receive a standard of care control or the group-based culturally adapted PSNS. Follow-up assessments will be done at 4 months and 12 months. The study includes a partnership with the YMCA of Greater Houston to provide a venue for where to deliver the program.

Conditions

• Obesity
• Obesity, Childhood
• Physical Activity
• Dietary Intake

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Healthy Dads Healthy Kids	Group based lifestyle behavioral intervention for weight loss for fathers and increased physical activity for their child. The program meets weekly 90-minute sessions over 10 weeks. Mothers/partners are invited to one session (Week 4). Each meeting consisted of a brief review session with Dads and Kids together (15 minutes), separate break-out discussion for Dads (Dad's Club) and Kids (Kid's Club) (30 minutes); and a joint physical activity component for Dads and Kids (Sports Club) (45 minutes). Each week covers different topics for fathers and a corresponding session for kids. The program encourages fathers to be healthy, positive role models for their children, and teaching fathers weight loss strategies, authoritative parenting strategies and to encourage healthy behaviors in their kids. Fathers and kids are encouraged to eat healthy, reduce their screen time and be more active. If the COVID pandemic prevents in-person meetings, the program will be delivered virtually.
OTHER	Standard of care control	Families will receive handouts on healthy eating, physical activity and screen media use to promote healthy weight status. Fathers will attend one group session with a focus on dietary changes and increased physical activity to promote healthy weight loss.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-05-16
• Primary completion: 2026-03-01
• Completion: 2026-08-31
• First posted: 2022-04-19
• Last updated: 2025-08-19

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States