NCT05990439

Baby-Feed Web Application for Infant Caregivers to Improve Diets and Weight Gain

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 155 (actual)
• Sponsor: Florida International University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 1 Month – 3 Months
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study will test the Baby-Feed web platform among 160 parents with infants aged 1-3 months at the time of enrollment and follow them through their 9-month well-child visit (about a total of 6 months) using a mixed-methods approach (randomized control trial with qualitative interviews).

Detailed description

This study will test the Baby-Feed web platform among 160 parents with infants aged 1-3 months at the time of enrollment and follow them through their 9-month well-child visit (about a total of 6 months) using a mixed-methods approach (randomized control trial with qualitative interviews). This age range was chosen as this is the period in which parents initiate and continue complementary foods in their infants' diets. Procedures: Participants randomized to the intervention arm (n=80) will have full access to the Baby-Feed web application and receive automated weekly text messages to complement the information received in Baby-Feed and to remind them to access the web application. Within the Baby-Feed platform, the intervention arm will assess the online infant FFQ to complete it at the required intervals (before the 4-month, 6-month, and 9-month well-child visits) and receive automatic feedback for obtaining recommended intake of food groups as well as input bi-weekly tracking goals. They will also record their infant's weight and length as provided from the well-child visits, which will plot on the WHO CDC 0-24 months growth chart and provide feedback to their infant's growth pattern. Caregivers will also have access to educational resources to aid them in reading and viewing appropriate infant guidance. Participants randomized to the control arm (n=80) will have access to certain components of the Baby-Feed web application, such as the online infant FFQ to complete it at the same intervals (before the 4-month, 6-month, and 9-month well-child visits) and infant's weight and length as recorded in the well-child visits, but without any automatic results or feedback. Risks and anticipated benefits: It is anticipated that this trial will have minimal risks as it is self-reported data only. Anticipated benefits include caregivers receiving dietary and weight gain guidance during the study which may assist with optimal nutritional and weight status. The importance of the knowledge that may reasonably be expected to result: The importance of this knowledge could lead to public use of the Baby-Feed web application leads to improvements in diet and weight gain during this critical time of growth and by potentially becoming a routine and accessible tool for clinicians to recommend their patients to support optimal growth and development for infants

Conditions

• Obesity, Childhood

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Baby-Feed	The Baby-Feed web application was developed by the researchers of this application at Florida International University. It was designed based on a validated infant food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) developed by our group. The Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and the Health Self-Empowerment Theory (HSET) were used in the development of the different components. The main intervention component is showing automatic results on how well parents are feeding their infants, upon completion of the infant FFQ, showing results on which food groups are consumed at the recommended level, which are consumed above and which are consumed below. It also shows a growth chart showing how the baby is progressing when they add their baby's weight and length. The website also includes a tracking system with short questions asking about their weekly progress and the recommendations to review frequently, if needed.
BEHAVIORAL	Limited access to the Baby-Feed web application	Limited access to the Baby-Feed web application, with only the options of completing the FFQ and inputing their baby's weight and length.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-04-01
• Primary completion: 2025-08-01
• Completion: 2025-08-01
• First posted: 2023-08-14
• Last updated: 2025-09-12

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States