title: Impact of an early-life intervention on the nutrition behaviors of 2-y-old children: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite an extensive well-child health service, 30% of New Zealand's 2- to 4-y old children are overweight or obese. This suggests that additional intervention is necessary to establish healthy nutrition behaviors.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess the effect of intervention from 0 to 18 mo of age on food and nutrient intake, eating behaviors, and parental feeding practices in 18- to 24-mo-old children.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 802 families with healthy infants were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 groups: Usual Care (UC); Food, Activity, and Breastfeeding (FAB); Sleep; or FAB and Sleep (Combination). All groups received standard "well-child" care. The FAB intervention comprised 7-8 additional contacts for education and support around breastfeeding, food, and activity. The Sleep intervention comprised 2 additional contacts for guidance about sleeping habits. Combination families received both interventions. A validated food-frequency questionnaire assessed food intake at 2 y. A questionnaire assessed eating behaviors and parental feeding practices at 18 and 24 mo.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 2 y, there were no statistically significant differences in food and nutrient intake or eating behaviors in the groups receiving the FAB intervention (FAB, Combination; 325 children) compared with the groups who did not (Sleep, UC; 341 children). With the use of a 5-point scale, small but statistically significant differences in parental feeding practices were observed in the groups receiving the FAB intervention: greater child control over eating (difference: 0.14; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.26) and less pressure to eat (difference: 0.18; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.32) at 18 mo, as well as greater encouragement of nutrient-dense foods at 24 mo (difference: 0.16; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.30). No statistically significant differences were observed between the groups who received the Sleep intervention (Sleep, Combination; 313 children) and those who did not, except higher meat intake in the former (11 g/d).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Additional education and support for parents from birth did not improve nutrition behaviors in this population at 2 y of age. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00892983.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Human Nutrition.
authors.forename: Louise J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Fangupo
authors.affiliation: Departments of Human Nutrition.
authors.forename: Anne-Louise M
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Heath
authors.affiliation: Preventive and Social Medicine.
authors.forename: Sheila M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Departments of Human Nutrition.
authors.forename: Megan R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Somerville
authors.affiliation: Women's and Children's Health, and.
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.affiliation: Preventive and Social Medicine.
authors.forename: Andrew R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.affiliation: Women's and Children's Health, and.
authors.forename: Barry J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Departments of Human Nutrition.
authors.forename: Virginia C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.affiliation: Departments of Human Nutrition.
authors.forename: Emily O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.affiliation: Women's and Children's Health, and.
authors.forename: Barbara C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Galland
authors.affiliation: Women's and Children's Health, and.
authors.forename: Rachel M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Sayers
authors.affiliation: Women's and Children's Health, and.
authors.forename: Maha B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Hanna
authors.affiliation: Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand rachael.taylor@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Rachael W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D001942:Breast Feeding; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016014:Linear Models; D009035:Mothers; D009520:New Zealand; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016487:Parenting; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012890:Sleep; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: food; infants; intervention; nutrition; toddlers