title: Promoting healthful family meals to prevent obesity: HOME Plus, a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Family meal frequency has been shown to be strongly associated with better dietary intake; however, associations with weight status have been mixed. Family meals-focused randomized controlled trials with weight outcomes have not been previously conducted. Therefore, this study purpose was to describe weight-related outcomes of the HOME Plus study, the first family meals-focused randomized controlled trial to prevent excess weight gain among youth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Families (n = 160 8-12-year-old children and their parents/guardians) were randomized to intervention (n = 81) or control (n = 79) groups. Data were collected at baseline (2011-2012), post-intervention (12-months post-baseline) and follow-up (21-months post-baseline). The intervention included ten monthly group sessions (nutrition education; hands-on meal and snack planning, preparation, and skill development; screen time reductions) and five motivational, goal-setting phone calls. The main outcome was child body mass index (BMI) z-score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  General linear models, adjusted for baseline values and demographics, showed no significant treatment group differences in BMI z-scores at post-intervention or follow-up; however, a promising reduction in excess weight gain was observed. Post-hoc stratification by pubertal onset indicated prepubescent children in the intervention group had significantly lower BMI z-scores than their control group counterparts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study used a strong theoretical framework, rigorous design, quality measurement and a program with high fidelity to test a family meals-focused obesity prevention intervention. It showed a modest decrease in excess weight gain. The significant intervention effect among prepubescent children suggests the intervention may be more efficacious among relatively young children, although more research with appropriately powered samples are needed to replicate this finding.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  This study is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT01538615. Registered 01/17/2012.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, 5-160 Weaver-Densford Hall, 308 Harvard Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA. fulke001@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Jayne A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fulkerson
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, 5-160 Weaver-Densford Hall, 308 Harvard Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA. adki0032@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Friend
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, 5-160 Weaver-Densford Hall, 308 Harvard Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA. flatt081@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Colleen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Flattum
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, 5-160 Weaver-Densford Hall, 308 Harvard Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA. horn0199@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horning
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine & Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. parke511@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Draxten
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. neuma011@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Dianne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neumark-Sztainer
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, 5-160 Weaver-Densford Hall, 308 Harvard Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA. ogurvich@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gurvich
authors.affiliation: Community & Family Medicine and Global Health, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA. mary.story@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Story
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, 5-160 Weaver-Densford Hall, 308 Harvard Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA. garwi001@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garwick
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, 5-160 Weaver-Densford Hall, 308 Harvard Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA. kubik002@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Martha Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Kubik
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003376:Counseling; D005192:Family Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D062407:Meals / Q000502:physiology*; D008910:Minnesota; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015430:Weight Gain