Health4Kids
A family-focused intervention encouraging healthy eating and physical activity in overweight Latino children
Project Summary:
Health4Kids is an obesity management program that uses family counseling, text messages, and newsletters to encourage healthier eating and increased physical activity in overweight and obese Latino children in San Antonio, Texas. Through pediatric clinics at the University Health System, researchers will work with child-parent pairs to test and evaluate the efficacy of intervention strategies including family counseling (in-clinic and phone) and culturally tailored text messages and newsletters. The research team will measure the impact of the program on body composition, insulin, glucose and cholesterol levels, and on health behavior changes like physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption.
Read about this topic in the news.
Key words: Latino, urban, family-focused, development, obesity prevention, nutrition, physical activity, mhealth
Project Details:
Principal Investigator: Deborah Parra-Medina, MPH, PhD, FAAHB
Project Title: Health4Kids (H4K) Intervention Trial for Hispanic Families
Funder: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders
Collaborators: Carisse Orsi, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics, UT Health San Antonio; Yuanyuan Liang, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics, UT Health San Antonio; David Akopian, UT San Antonio
Project Period: 2013-2019
Location: San Antonio, Texas
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A family-focused intervention encouraging healthy eating and physical activity in Latino children with overweight or obesity
Project Summary:
The Health4Kids study is a randomized controlled trial aimed to improve children’s body composition by evaluating a comprehensive, culturally, and linguistically relevant family-oriented intervention for Hispanic children (ages 6-11) with overweight or obesity in three pediatric clinics in Bexar County, San Antonio, Texas. This obesity management program used family counseling, text messages, and newsletters to encourage healthier eating and increase physical activity. Researchers worked with child-parent pairs to test and evaluate the efficacy of the study’s intervention strategies. The research team measured the impact of the program on body composition, insulin, glucose, and cholesterol levels; health behavior changes like physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption; and psychosocial and demographic variables.
- Read about this topic in the news
- Check out the intervention flipchart
- Flip through the intervention newsletters
- Presentation: Parental Perceptions Associated with Latino Children Meeting PA Guidelines
- Poster: Multiple Telehealth Methods Used in a Pediatric Obesity Management Program
Key words: Latino, urban, family-focused, development, obesity prevention, nutrition, physical activity, mhealth
Project Details:
Principal Investigator: Deborah Parra-Medina, Ph.D.
Project Title: Health4Kids Intervention Trial for Hispanic Families (R01HD075936; NCT02343367)
Funder: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders
Collaborators: Carisse Orsi, M.D., UT Health San Antonio; Yuanyuan Liang, Ph.D., UT Health San Antonio; David Akopian, Ph.D., UT San Antonio
Project Period: 2013-2019
Location: San Antonio, Texas
