Abstract
Healthy Children, Strong Families (HCSF) is a 2-year, community-driven, family-based randomized controlled trial of a healthy lifestyles intervention conducted in partnership with four Wisconsin American Indian tribes. HCSF is composed of 1 year of targeted home visits to deliver nutritional and physical activity curricula. During Year 1, trained community mentors work with 2–5-year-old American Indian children and their primary caregivers to promote goal-based behavior change. During Year 2, intervention families receive monthly newsletters and attend monthly group meetings to participate in activities designed to reinforce and sustain changes made in Year 1. Control families receive only curricula materials during Year 1 and monthly newsletters during Year 2. Each of the two arms of the study comprises 60 families. Primary outcomes are decreased child body mass index (BMI) z-score and decreased primary caregiver BMI. Secondary outcomes include: increased fruit/vegetable consumption, decreased TV viewing, increased physical activity, decreased soda/sweetened drink consumption, improved primary caregiver biochemical indices, and increased primary caregiver self-efficacy to adopt healthy behaviors. Using community-based participatory research and our history of university–tribal partnerships, the community and academic researchers jointly designed this randomized trial. This article describes the study design and data collection strategies, including outcome measures, with emphasis on the communities’ input in all aspects of the research.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by a cooperative agreement between the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (U-01 HL087381) and the University of Wisconsin. Additional support was provided by the Wisconsin Partnership Program and the Oneida Nation. We are grateful to the tribal governments of the following communities for supporting this work: the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, the Menominee Nation, and the Oneida Nation. The following key staff and community members assisted the study team and provided advice on ways to implement the study in their communities: Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council: SuAnne Vannatter and Nancy Miller-Korth. Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians: Mary BigBoy, LuAnn Wiggins, Charlie Wiggins, Mark LeCapitaine, Lori Gregorie, Anne Rosin, Sandy Kolodziejski, and Lin Lemieux. Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians: Randy Samuelson, Sue Wolfe, Anita Dionne, Heather Fortin, Hope Williams, Kathy Kinny, Jeanne Wolfe, Stacy Stone, Carol Cardinal, Denise Rheume, Betty Batiste, and Mary White. Menominee Nation: Jerry Waukau, Mark Caskey, Scott Krueger, Michael Skenadore, Dave Hoffman, Brenda Hoffman, Jean Cox, Jeanette Perez, Sue Blodgett, Mary Waukau, Bethany Miller, and Mary Lawe. Oneida Nation: Eric Krawczyk, Tina Jacobsen, Dawn Krines Glatt, Jill Caelwaerts, Monique Gore, Susan Higgs, Karla Jenquin, Jenny Jorgensen, Charlene Kizior, and Michelle Mielke. University of Wisconsin–Green Bay: Joelle Frank and Stephanie Jansen. University of Wisconsin School of Medicine: Heather Lukolyo.
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Adams, A.K., LaRowe, T.L., Cronin, K.A. et al. The Healthy Children, Strong Families Intervention: Design and Community Participation. J Primary Prevent 33, 175–185 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-012-0275-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10935-012-0275-y