Child Health Promotion in Underserved Communities: The FAMILIA Trial

J Am Coll Cardiol. 2019 Apr 30;73(16):2011-2021. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2019.01.057.

Abstract

Background: Preschool-based interventions offer promise to instill healthy behaviors in children, which can be a strategy to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease later. However, their efficacy in underserved communities is not well established.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a preschool-based health promotion educational intervention in an underserved community.

Methods: This cluster-randomized controlled study involved 15 Head Start preschools in Harlem, New York. Schools and their children were randomized 3:2 to receive either a 4-month (50 h) educational intervention to instill healthy behaviors in relation to diet, physical activity, body/heart awareness, and emotion management; or their standard curriculum (control). The primary outcome was the change from baseline in the overall knowledge, attitudes, and habits (KAH) score of the children at 5 months. As secondary outcomes, we evaluated the changes in KAH subcomponents and emotion comprehension. Linear mixed-effects models were used to test for intervention effects.

Results: The authors enrolled 562 preschool children age 3 to 5 years, 51% female, 54% Hispanic/Latino, and 37% African-American. Compared with the control group, the mean relative change from baseline in the overall KAH score was ∼2.2 fold higher in the intervention group (average absolute difference of 2.86 points; 95% confidence interval: 0.58 to 5.14; p = 0.014). The maximal effect was observed in children who received >75% of the curriculum. Physical activity and body/heart awareness components, and knowledge and attitudes domains, were the main drivers of the effect (p values <0.05). Changes in emotion comprehension trended toward favoring intervened children.

Conclusions: This multidimensional school-based educational intervention may be an effective strategy for establishing healthy behaviors among preschoolers from a diverse and socioeconomically disadvantaged community. Early primordial prevention strategies may contribute to reducing the global burden of cardiovascular disease. (Family-Based Approach in a Minority Community Integrating Systems-Biology for Promotion of Health [FAMILIA]; NCT02343341).

Keywords: attitude; diet; emotions; exercise; health promotion; vulnerable populations.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cardiovascular Diseases / prevention & control*
  • Child Welfare*
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cluster Analysis
  • Female
  • Health Behavior
  • Health Education / organization & administration*
  • Health Promotion / organization & administration*
  • Humans
  • Linear Models
  • Male
  • Medically Underserved Area
  • New York City
  • Poverty / statistics & numerical data*
  • Primary Prevention / methods
  • Program Development
  • Program Evaluation
  • Schools / organization & administration

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT02343341