NCT07284108

Healthy Eating for My Infant: A Community- Informed Infant Obesity Prevention Program Addressing the Impact of Maternal Mental Health on Eating and Feeding

Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Phase II Efficacy Testing of a Community-Informed Infant Obesity Prevention Program Addressing the Impact of Maternal Mental Health on Eating and Feeding.

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Cincinnati · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 2 Months – 21 Months
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Infants from low-income families are at increased risk for obesity, but obesity prevention programs tailored specifically to the needs of these infants are lacking. Our team developed Healthy Eating for My Infant (HEMI) to address the specific obesity risk factors, barriers to health behaviors, and needs articulated by community members and low-income families (e.g., maternal mental health, realistic feeding options within the context of food insecurity). The current study will examine the feasibility and acceptability of HEMI delivered via home visiting, as well as preliminary efficacy for improving infant growth trajectories, diet, and parenting/feeding factors related to future obesity risk among infants from low-income families.

Conditions

• Obesity & Overweight

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Healthy Eating for My Infant (HEMI)	Our team developed an obesity prevention program, Healthy Eating for My Infant (HEMI), to address the unique factors influencing obesity risk and health behaviors among low-income families and their infants and to be delivered in conjunction with an existing evidence-based home visiting program. HEMI targets healthy feeding with children 3-14 months old through twice monthly behavioral and educational sessions alongside sessions with a peer counselor with similar lived experience to mothers in the program. HEMI incorporates education and evidence-based behavioral techniques (e.g., problem solving, goal setting, behavioral rehearsal) to address topics such as infant nutrition, introduction of solid foods, responsive feeding, realistic healthy eating options, healthy eating on a budget, and recipes). All sessions are delivered in the families' homes. The intervention also includes free grocery delivery and supplemental funds for purchasing foods through grocery delivery.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-01-01
• Primary completion: 2028-04-01
• Completion: 2028-04-01
• First posted: 2025-12-16
• Last updated: 2025-12-16

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States