Improving the Eating Habits of Mother and Her Infant Via Sugar Reduction

This study will determine whether a health education program incorporating sugar sweetened beverage and juice (SSB/J) reduction and home water delivery affects maternal and infant risk for obesity. The postpartum period is a time of both opportunity and vulnerability for mothers and their infants to diminish risk for obesity and related health problems. This is particularly relevant in the context of Hispanic families. Hispanic mothers are at high-risk for excess gestational weight gain and postpartum weight retention, and their infants are at high-risk for rapid weight gain associated with early onset obesity. A contributing factor may be their intake of SSB/J. There is a high prevalence of reported SSB/J consumption in low-income Hispanic households, and Hispanic mothers are more likely to incorporate sweet foods during weaning. Because evidence suggests that obese Hispanic children are responsive to SSB/J reduction and substitution with non-caloric beverages, this may be a potential strategy for Hispanic mothers that may also be beneficial for their infants. This study will be conducted in Los Angeles. Two-hundred-and-forty Hispanic mothers and their infants will be recruited. They will be randomly assigned to: group 1, a standard health education program only; group 2, a health education program that incorporates sugar reduction; and group 3, a health education program that incorporates sugar reduction with home bottled water delivery. The intervention program will be delivered by trained health educators during in-person home visits, or virtually via phone or video calls. The main outcomes are maternal weight status and infant weight change. We will also assess maternal and infant diet using 24-hour recalls, and maternal feeding style and infant eating behaviors using questionnaires.