Utilizing Digital Health Approaches to Promote Early Childhood Healthy Eating and Activity Behaviors

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to evaluate the KnowHow program, a 10-week digital intervention designed to promote healthy eating and activity behaviors among families with young children. The study focuses on assessing how feasible and acceptable this program is for parents of preschool-aged children, including how well families engage with the program and their intentions to continue its practices. The intervention targets health behavior improvements in early childhood by providing parent education on mindful parenting, nutrition, and physical literacy. The KnowHow program includes three main components: a custom mobile app delivering educational content and activities, virtual group discussions held via Zoom, and child-centered support materials mailed to families. The app is organized into five modules containing lessons, activities, and assessments focused on mindful parenting, healthy eating, and physical activity. Two groups are studied: one receives the 10-week intervention, and a delayed control group does not receive the program during the study period but gains access afterward. Participants will be assessed at baseline (week 0) and after the 10-week intervention (post-test) for several outcomes including recruitment, retention, usability, acceptability, digital engagement, and intention to sustain behaviors. Behavioral outcomes such as mindful parenting, parent-child feeding practices, and physical activity parenting practices are measured before and after the intervention. Parent self-efficacy and behavioral skills are also evaluated. The total study duration for participants is 10 weeks, with no additional assessments for the control group after the intervention period.

A Digital Intervention to Promote Preschool Nutrition and Activity: The eHEROs Study