Emergence of racial/ethnic and socioeconomic differences in objectively measured sleep-wake patterns in early infancy: results of the Rise & SHINE study

STUDY OBJECTIVES

To characterize objectively assessed sleep-wake patterns in infants at approximately 1 month and 6 months and examine the differences among infants with different racial/ethnic backgrounds and household socioeconomic status (SES).

METHODS

Full-term healthy singletons wore an ankle-placed actigraph at approximately 1 month and 6 months and parents completed sleep diaries. Associations of racial/ethnic and socioeconomic indices with sleep outcomes were examined using multivariable analyses. Covariates included sex, birth weight for gestational age z-score, age at assessment, maternal education, household income, bed-sharing, and breastfeeding.

RESULTS

The sample included 306 infants, of whom 51% were female, 42.5% non-Hispanic white, 32.7% Hispanic, 17.3% Asian, and 7.5% black. Between 1 month and 6 months, night sleep duration increased by 65.7 minutes (95% CI: 55.4, 76.0), night awakenings decreased by 2.2 episodes (2.0, 2.4), and daytime sleep duration decreased by 73.3 minutes (66.4, 80.2). Compared to change in night sleep duration over this development period for white infants (82.3 minutes [66.5, 98.0]), night sleep increased less for Hispanic (48.9 minutes [30.8, 66.9]) and black infants (31.6 minutes [-5.9, 69.1]). Night sleep duration also increased less for infants with lower maternal education and household income. Asian infants had more frequent night awakenings. Adjustment for maternal education and household income attenuated all observed day and night sleep duration differences other than in Asians, where persistently reduced nighttime sleep at 6 months was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Racial/ethnic differences in sleep emerge in early infancy. Night and 24-hour sleep durations increase less in Hispanic and black infants compared to white infants, with differences largely explained by SES.

Presence of Small Screens in Bedrooms Is Associated With Shorter Sleep Duration and Later Bedtimes in Children With Obesity

BACKGROUND

The presence of small screens in the sleep environment has been associated with shorter sleep duration and later bedtimes in children of normal weight, but the role these devices play in the sleep environment of overweight children is unclear. We sought to examine the association of small screen presence in the sleep environment with sleep behaviors among school-age children with obesity.

METHODS

We surveyed 526 parents of children ages 6 to 12 years old with a body mass index ≥95th percentile who were participating in a randomized trial to treat childhood obesity. Twelve months after enrollment, parents were asked how frequently their child slept with or near a small screen (defined as a cellphone, smartphone, or texting/chat-capable device). We used multivariable linear regression to examine associations of the presence of small screens with sleep duration, waketime, and bedtime.

RESULTS

Compared with children who rarely/never slept with a small screen in their bedroom, children who did so 1 day or more per week had shorter sleep durations and later bedtimes. After we adjusted for television presence in the bedroom, small screen presence was still associated with shorter sleep duration (-9.9 minutes; P = .02) and later weekday (8.8 minutes; P = .03) and weekend (12.0 minutes; P = .03) bedtimes.

CONCLUSIONS

Children with obesity and a small screen present in their sleep environment have shorter sleep durations and later bedtimes than children who rarely/never sleep with a small screen. Pediatricians should consider inquiring about small screens in the bedroom when counseling on healthy sleep and weight management habits.

Cost-Effectiveness of a Clinical Childhood Obesity Intervention

OBJECTIVES

To estimate the cost-effectiveness and population impact of the national implementation of the Study of Technology to Accelerate Research (STAR) intervention for childhood obesity.

METHODS

In the STAR cluster-randomized trial, 6- to 12-year-old children with obesity seen at pediatric practices with electronic health record (EHR)-based decision support for primary care providers and self-guided behavior-change support for parents had significantly smaller increases in BMI than children who received usual care. We used a microsimulation model of a national implementation of STAR from 2015 to 2025 among all pediatric primary care providers in the United States with fully functional EHRs to estimate cost, impact on obesity prevalence, and cost-effectiveness.

RESULTS

The expected population reach of a 10-year national implementation is ∼2 million children, with intervention costs of $119 per child and $237 per BMI unit reduced. At 10 years, assuming maintenance of effect, the intervention is expected to avert 43 000 cases and 226 000 life-years with obesity at a net cost of $4085 per case and $774 per life-year with obesity averted. Limiting implementation to large practices and using higher estimates of EHR adoption improved both cost-effectiveness and reach, whereas decreasing the maintenance of the intervention's effect worsened the former.

CONCLUSIONS

A childhood obesity intervention with electronic decision support for clinicians and self-guided behavior-change support for parents may be more cost-effective than previous clinical interventions. Effective and efficient interventions that target children with obesity are necessary and could work in synergy with population-level prevention strategies to accelerate progress in reducing obesity prevalence.

Two-year follow-up of a primary care-based intervention to prevent and manage childhood obesity: the High Five for Kids study

BACKGROUND

The obesity epidemic has spared no age group, even young infants. Most childhood obesity is incident by the age of 5 years, making prevention in preschool years a priority.

OBJECTIVE

To examine 2-year changes in age- and sex-specific BMI z-scores and obesity-related behaviours among 441 of the 475 originally recruited participants in High Five for Kids, a cluster randomized controlled trial in 10 paediatric practices.

METHODS

The intervention included a more intensive 1-year intervention period (four in-person visits and two phone calls) followed by a less intensive 1-year maintenance period (two in-person visits) among children who were overweight or obese and age 2-6 years at enrolment. The five intervention practices restructured care to manage these children including motivational interviewing and educational modules targeting television viewing and intakes of fast food and sugar-sweetened beverages.

RESULTS

After 2 years, compared with usual care, intervention participants had similar changes in BMI z-scores (-0.04 units; 95% CI -0.14, 0.06), television viewing (-0.20 h/d; -0.49 to 0.09) and intakes of fast food (-0.09 servings/week; -0.34 to 0.17) and sugar-sweetened beverages (-0.26 servings/day; -0.67 to 0.14).

CONCLUSION

High Five for Kids, a primarily clinical-based intervention, did not affect BMI z-scores or obesity-related behaviours after 2 years.

Correlates of Resource Empowerment among Parents of Children with Overweight or Obesity

BACKGROUND

Few studies have examined correlates of resource empowerment among parents of children with overweight or obesity.

METHODS

We studied baseline data of 721 parent-child pairs participating in the Connect for Health randomized trial being conducted at six pediatric practices in Massachusetts. Parents completed the child weight management subscale (n = 5 items; 4-point response scale) of the Parent Resource Empowerment Scale; items were averaged to create a summary empowerment score. We used linear regression to examine the independent effects of child (age, sex, and race/ethnicity), parent/household characteristics (age, education, annual household income, BMI category, perceived stress, and their ratings of their healthcare quality), and neighborhood median household income, on parental resource empowerment.

RESULTS

Mean (SD) child age was 7.7 years (2.9) and mean (SD) BMI z-score was 1.9 (0.5); 34% of children were white, 32% black, 22% Hispanic, 5% Asian, and 6% multiracial/other. The mean parental empowerment score was 2.95 (SD = 0.56; range = 1-4). In adjusted models, parents of older children [β -0.03 (95% CI: -0.04, -0.01)], Hispanic children [-0.14 (-0.26, -0.03)], those with annual household income less than $20,000 [-0.16 (-0.29, -0.02)], those with BMI ≥30.0 kg/m² [-0.17 (-0.28, -0.07)], and those who reported receiving lower quality of obesity-related care [-0.05 (-0.07, -0.03)] felt less empowered about resources to support their child's healthy body weight.

CONCLUSIONS

Parental resource empowerment is influenced by parent and child characteristics as well as the quality of their obesity-related care. These findings could help inform equitable, family-centered approaches to improve parental resource empowerment.

Comparative effectiveness of childhood obesity interventions in pediatric primary care: a cluster-randomized clinical trial

IMPORTANCE

Evidence of effective treatment of childhood obesity in primary care settings is limited.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the extent to which computerized clinical decision support (CDS) delivered to pediatric clinicians at the point of care of obese children, with or without individualized family coaching, improved body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) and quality of care.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

We conducted a cluster-randomized, 3-arm clinical trial. We enrolled 549 children aged 6 to 12 years with a BMI at the 95% percentile or higher from 14 primary care practices in Massachusetts from October 1, 2011, through June 30, 2012. Patients were followed up for 1 year (last follow-up, August 30, 2013). In intent-to-treat analyses, we used linear mixed-effects models to account for clustering by practice and within each person.

INTERVENTIONS

In 5 practices randomized to CDS, pediatric clinicians received decision support on obesity management, and patients and their families received an intervention for self-guided behavior change. In 5 practices randomized to CDS + coaching, decision support was augmented by individualized family coaching. The remaining 4 practices were randomized to usual care.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Smaller age-associated change in BMI and the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) performance measures for obesity during the 1-year follow-up.

RESULTS

At baseline, mean (SD) patient age and BMI were 9.8 (1.9) years and 25.8 (4.3), respectively. At 1 year, we obtained BMI from 518 children (94.4%) and HEDIS measures from 491 visits (89.4%). The 3 randomization arms had different effects on BMI over time (P = .04). Compared with the usual care arm, BMI increased less in children in the CDS arm during 1 year (-0.51 [95% CI, -0.91 to -0.11]). The CDS + coaching arm had a smaller magnitude of effect (-0.34 [95% CI, -0.75 to 0.07]). We found substantially greater achievement of childhood obesity HEDIS measures in the CDS arm (adjusted odds ratio, 2.28 [95% CI, 1.15-4.53]) and CDS + coaching arm (adjusted odds ratio, 2.60 [95% CI, 1.25-5.41]) and higher use of HEDIS codes for nutrition or physical activity counseling (CDS arm, 45%; CDS + coaching arm, 25%; P < .001 compared with usual care arm).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

An intervention that included computerized CDS for pediatric clinicians and support for self-guided behavior change for families resulted in improved childhood BMI. Both interventions improved the quality of care for childhood obesity.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01537510.

Implementing a multicomponent school-based obesity prevention intervention: a qualitative study

OBJECTIVE

To explore barriers and facilitators to implementing and sustaining Healthy Choices, a 3-year multicomponent obesity prevention intervention implemented in middle schools in Massachusetts.

METHODS

Using purposive sampling, 56 in-depth interviews were conducted with middle school employees representing different positions (administrators, teachers, food service personnel, and employees serving as intervention coordinators). Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Emergent themes were identified using thematic analyses.

RESULTS

State-mandated testing, budget limitations, and time constraints were viewed as implementation barriers, whereas staff buy-in, external support, and technical assistance were seen as facilitating implementation. Respondents thought that intervention sustainability depended on external funding and expert assistance.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Results confirm the importance of gaining faculty and staff support. Schools implementing large-scale interventions should consider developing sustainable partnerships with organizations that can provide resources and ongoing training. Sustainability of complex interventions may depend on state-level strategies that provide resources for implementation and technical assistance.

Participant characteristics and intervention processes associated with reductions in television viewing in the High Five for Kids study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the High Five for Kids intervention effect on television within subgroups, examine participant characteristics associated with process measures and assess perceived helpfulness of television intervention components.

METHOD

High Five (randomized controlled trial of 445 overweight/obese 2-7 year-olds in Massachusetts [2006-2008]) reduced television by 0.36 h/day. 1-year effects on television viewing, stratified by subgroup, were assessed using linear regression. Among intervention participants (n=253), associations of intervention component helpfulness with television reduction were examined using linear regression and associations of participant characteristics with processes linked to television reduction (choosing television and completing intervention visits) were examined using logistic regression.

RESULTS

High Five reduced television across subgroups. Parents of Latino (versus white) children had lower odds of completing ≥2 study visits (Odds Ratio: 0.39 [95% Confidence Interval: 0.18, 0.84]). Parents of black (versus white) children had higher odds of choosing television (Odds Ratio: 2.23 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.08, 4.59]), as did parents of obese (versus overweight) children and children watching ≥2 h/day (versus <2) at baseline. Greater perceived helpfulness was associated with greater television reduction.

CONCLUSION

Clinic-based motivational interviewing reduces television viewing in children. Low cost education approaches (e.g., printed materials) may be well-received. Parents of children at higher obesity risk could be more motivated to reduce television.

The cost of a primary care-based childhood obesity prevention intervention

Background

United States pediatric guidelines recommend that childhood obesity counseling be conducted in the primary care setting. Primary care-based interventions can be effective in improving health behaviors, but also costly. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost of a primary care-based obesity prevention intervention targeting children between the ages of two and six years who are at elevated risk for obesity, measured against usual care.

Methods

High Five for Kids was a cluster-randomized controlled clinical trial that aimed to modify children’s nutrition and TV viewing habits through a motivational interviewing intervention. We assessed visit-related costs from a societal perspective, including provider-incurred direct medical costs, provider-incurred equipment costs, parent time costs and parent out-of-pocket costs, in 2011 dollars for the intervention (n = 253) and usual care (n = 192) groups. We conducted a net cost analysis using both societal and health plan costing perspectives and conducted one-way sensitivity and uncertainty analyses on results.

Results

The total costs for the intervention group and usual care groups in the first year of the intervention were $65,643 (95% CI [$64,522, $66,842]) and $12,192 (95% CI [$11,393, $13,174]). The mean costs for the intervention and usual care groups were $259 (95% CI [$255, $264]) and $63 (95% CI [$59, $69]) per child, respectively, for a incremental difference of $196 (95% CI [$191, $202]) per child. Children in the intervention group attended a mean of 2.4 of a possible 4 in-person visits and received 0.45 of a possible 2 counseling phone calls. Provider-incurred costs were the primary driver of cost estimates in sensitivity analyses.

Conclusions

High Five for Kids was a resource-intensive intervention. Further studies are needed to assess the cost-effectiveness of the intervention relative to other pediatric obesity interventions.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00377767.

Exploring innovative approaches and patient-centered outcomes from positive outliers in childhood obesity

OBJECTIVE

New approaches for obesity prevention and management can be gleaned from positive outliers-that is, individuals who have succeeded in changing health behaviors and reducing their body mass index (BMI) in the context of adverse built and social environments. We explored perspectives and strategies of parents of positive outlier children living in high-risk neighborhoods.

METHODS

We collected up to 5 years of height/weight data from the electronic health records of 22,443 Massachusetts children, ages 6 to 12 years, seen for well-child care. We identified children with any history of BMI in the 95th percentile or higher (n = 4007) and generated a BMI z-score slope for each child using a linear mixed effects model. We recruited parents for focus groups from the subsample of children with negative slopes who also lived in zip codes where >15% of children were obese. We analyzed focus group transcripts using an immersion/crystallization approach.

RESULTS

We reached thematic saturation after 5 focus groups with 41 parents. Commonly cited outcomes that mattered most to parents and motivated change were child inactivity, above-average clothing sizes, exercise intolerance, and negative peer interactions; few reported BMI as a motivator. Convergent strategies among positive outlier families were family-level changes, parent modeling, consistency, household rules/limits, and creativity in overcoming resistance. Parents voiced preferences for obesity interventions that include tailored education and support that extend outside clinical settings and are delivered by both health care professionals and successful peers.

CONCLUSIONS

Successful strategies learned from positive outlier families can be generalized and tested to accelerate progress in reducing childhood obesity.

Improving children's obesity-related health care quality: process outcomes of a cluster-randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

To examine the extent to which an intervention using electronic decision support delivered to pediatricians at the point-of-care of obese children, with or without direct-to-parent outreach, improved health care quality measures for child obesity.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Process outcomes from a three-arm, cluster-randomized trial from 14 pediatric practices in Massachusetts were reported. Participants were 549 children aged 6-12 years with body mass index (BMI) ≥ 95th percentile. In five practices (Intervention-1), pediatricians receive electronic decision support at the point-of-care. In five other practices (Intervention-2), pediatricians receive point-of-care decision support and parents receive information about their child's prior BMI before their scheduled visit. Four practices receive usual care. The main outcomes were Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) performance measures for child obesity: documentation of BMI percentile and use of counseling codes for nutrition or physical activity.

RESULTS

Compared to the usual care condition, participants in Intervention-2, but not Intervention-1, had substantially higher odds of use of HEDIS codes for BMI percentile documentation (adjusted OR: 3.97; 95% CI: 1.92, 8.23) and higher prevalence of use of HEDIS codes for counseling for nutrition or physical activity (adjusted predicted prevalence 20.3% [95% CI 8.5, 41.2] for Intervention -2 vs. 0.0% [0.0, 2.0] for usual care).

CONCLUSION

An intervention that included both decision support for clinicians and outreach to parents resulted in improved health care quality measures for child obesity.

Leveraging text messaging and mobile technology to support pediatric obesity-related behavior change: a qualitative study using parent focus groups and interviews

Background

Text messaging (short message service, SMS) is a widely accessible and potentially cost-effective medium for encouraging behavior change. Few studies have examined text messaging interventions to influence child health behaviors or explored parental perceptions of mobile technologies to support behavior change among children.

Objective

Our aim was to examine parental acceptability and preferences for text messaging to support pediatric obesity-related behavior change.

Methods

We conducted focus groups and follow-up interviews with parents of overweight and obese children, aged 6-12 years, seen for “well-child” care in eastern Massachusetts. A professional moderator used a semistructured discussion guide and sample text messages to catalyze group discussions. Seven participants then received 3 weeks of text messages before a follow-up one-on-one telephone interview. All focus groups and interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Using a framework analysis approach, we systematically coded and analyzed group and interview data to identify salient and convergent themes.

Results

We reached thematic saturation after five focus groups and seven follow-up interviews with a total of 31 parents of diverse race/ethnicity and education levels. Parents were generally enthusiastic about receiving text messages to support healthy behaviors for their children and preferred them to paper or email communication because they are brief and difficult to ignore. Participants anticipated high responsiveness to messaging endorsed by their child’s doctor and indicated they would appreciate messages 2-3 times/week or more as long as content remains relevant. Suggestions for maintaining message relevance included providing specific strategies for implementation and personalizing information. Most felt the negative features of text messaging (eg, limited message size) could be overcome by providing links within messages to other media including email or websites.

Conclusions

Text messaging is a promising medium for supporting pediatric obesity-related behavior change. Parent perspectives could assist in the design of text-based interventions.

Trial Registration

Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01565161; http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01565161 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6LSaqFyPP).

Parental perceptions of a motivational interviewing-based pediatric obesity prevention intervention

Motivational interviewing (MI) shows promise for pediatric obesity prevention, but few studies address parental perceptions of MI. The aim of this study was to identify correlates of parental perceptions of helpfulness of and satisfaction with a MI-based pediatric obesity prevention intervention. We studied 253 children 2 to 6 years of age in the intervention arm of High Five for Kids, a primary care-based randomized controlled trial. In multivariable models, parents born outside the United States (odds ratio [OR] = 8.81; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.44, 31.8), with lower household income (OR = 3.60; 95% CI = 1.03, 12.55), and with higher BMI (OR = 2.86; 95% CI = 1.07, 7.65) were more likely to perceive MI-based visits as helpful in improving children's obesity-related behaviors after the first year of the intervention. Parents of female (vs male), black (vs white), and Latino (vs white) children had lower intervention satisfaction. Our findings underscore the importance of tailoring pediatric obesity prevention efforts to target populations.

Rationale and design of the STAR randomized controlled trial to accelerate adoption of childhood obesity comparative effectiveness research

BACKGROUND

Comparative effectiveness research (CER) evidence on childhood obesity provides the basis for effective screening and management strategies in pediatric primary care. The uses of health information technology including decision support tools in the electronic health records (EHRs), as well as remote and mobile support to families, offer the potential to accelerate the adoption of childhood obesity CER evidence.

METHODS/DESIGN

The Study of Technology to Accelerate Research (STAR) is a three-arm, cluster-randomized controlled trial being conducted in 14 pediatric offices in Massachusetts designed to enroll 800, 6 to 12 year old children with a body mass index (BMI)≥ 95th percentile seen in primary care at those practices. We will examine the extent to which computerized decision support tools in the EHR delivered to primary care providers at the point of care, with or without direct-to-parent support and coaching, will increase adoption of CER evidence for management of obese children. Direct-to-parent intervention components include telephone coaching and twice-weekly text messages. Point-of-care outcomes include obesity diagnosis, nutrition and physical activity counseling, and referral to weight management. One-year child-level outcomes include changes in BMI and improvements in diet, physical activity, screen time, and sleep behaviors, as well as cost and cost-effectiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

STAR will determine the extent to which decision support tools in EHRs with or without direct-to-parent support will increase adoption of evidence-based obesity management strategies in pediatric practice and improve childhood obesity-related outcomes.

Randomized controlled trial to improve primary care to prevent and manage childhood obesity: the High Five for Kids study

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effectiveness of a primary care-based obesity intervention over the first year (6 intervention contacts) of a planned 2-year study.

DESIGN

Cluster randomized controlled trial.

SETTING

Ten pediatric practices, 5 intervention and 5 usual care.

PARTICIPANTS

Four hundred seventy-five children aged 2 to 6 years with body mass index (BMI) in the 95th percentile or higher or 85th to less than 95th percentile if at least 1 parent was overweight; 445 (93%) had 1-year outcomes.

INTERVENTION

Intervention practices received primary care restructuring, and families received motivational interviewing by clinicians and educational modules targeting television viewing and fast food and sugar-sweetened beverage intake.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Change in BMI and obesity-related behaviors from baseline to 1 year.

RESULTS

Compared with usual care, intervention participants had a smaller, nonsignificant change in BMI (-0.21; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.50 to 0.07; P = .15), greater decreases in television viewing (-0.36 h/d; 95% CI, -0.64 to -0.09; P = .01), and slightly greater decreases in fast food (-0.16 serving/wk; 95% CI, -0.33 to 0.01; P = .07) and sugar-sweetened beverage (-0.22 serving/d; 95% CI, -0.52 to 0.08; P = .15) intake. In post hoc analyses, we observed significant effects on BMI among girls (-0.38; 95% CI, -0.73 to -0.03; P = .03) but not boys (0.04; 95% CI, -0.55 to 0.63; P = .89) and among participants in households with annual incomes of $50 000 or less (-0.93; 95% CI, -1.60 to -0.25; P = .01) but not in higher-income households (0.02; 95% CI, -0.30 to 0.33; P = .92).

CONCLUSION

After 1 year, the High Five for Kids intervention was effective in reducing television viewing but did not significantly reduce BMI.