Publication Year: November 2021
Authors: Rachel Laws, Penelope Love, Kylie D Hesketh, Harriet Koorts, Elizabeth Denney-Wilson, Marj Moodie, Vicki Brown, Kok-Leong Ong, Jennifer Browne, Sarah Marshall, Sandrine Lioret, Liliana Orellana, Karen J Campbell
Contributing Organization: Frontiers in Endocrinology
Background: The Infant Feeding Activity and Nutrition Trial (INFANT) is an evidence-based early childhood healthy lifestyle intervention designed to enhance parents’ knowledge and skills in promoting optimal energy balance-related behaviors that affect children’s diet, activity, and adiposity. It includes four group sessions and access to the My Baby Now app. This research aims to assess the real-world implementation, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of INFANT when delivered across Victoria, Australia.
Methods: The study will span five years, using mixed methods to collect data at the system, organizational, and individual levels. An embedded non-randomized controlled trial will evaluate the effectiveness of INFANT at scale, with the primary outcome being the child lifestyle pattern score for ‘discretionary food and screen time’ at 18 months. The evaluation is guided by the criteria from the Outcomes for Implementation Research and RE-AIM frameworks.
Impact: The findings will directly inform the delivery of INFANT in Victoria, providing crucial implementation, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness evidence to support the adoption and sustained implementation of early childhood obesity prevention interventions both in Australia and internationally.