Improving Health Among Disadvantaged Girls to Slow Pubertal Onset and Reduce Long-term Health Risks
University of Washington
Summary
This study is testing whether improving health in girls during the prepubertal period may slow the onset of puberty. This study will focus on prepubertal girls who have a high weight status (at or above the 85th percentile for body mass index). Half of the girls who join the study will participate in a treatment program to reduce weight and improve lifestyle behaviors, and half of the girls will participate in a control condition. The frequency of pubertal onset will be compared across the groups. This research is important because girls who experience puberty at an earlier age are at risk for poor psychological and physical health. Girls in the treatment condition will participate in the Family Based Treatment (FBT) program, an established treatment for children who are overweight or obese. Families attend 20 weekly sessions (30 minutes each) over a 5-month period. Sessions are led by a trained interventionist and focus on healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. Girls in the control condition will receive their usual medical care through their pediatric care doctor or other care provider. Families will also receive educational handouts about 1 time per month, addressing topics related to healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. Families in both the treatment and control conditions will participate in assessments conducted at baseline and approximately 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-, 30-, and 36 months follow-up. These assessments are led by a data collector and include the measurement of height and weight, pubertal status, and health behaviors.
Description
Abundant research shows girls who experience earlier pubertal onset exhibit substantial risk for poor outcomes in multiple areas of psychosocial functioning and physical health. At the same time, abundant research shows prepubertal body mass index (BMI) is a critical determinant of earlier pubertal onset. Integration of these research areas points to the novel focus of the proposed study which seeks to test whether an RCT targeting weight loss and positive health behavior change in the prepubertal period may slow pubertal onset in girls at risk for accelerated pubertal development. At-risk is…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 6–8 years
- Sex
- Female
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Child female biological sex 2. Child BMI percentile in the overweight/obese range (BMI percentile ≥85th for age and sex) 3. Low child household income based on local income requirements for subsidized housing 4. At least 50% enrollment of child Black or Latina or 'multiple' race or ethnicity identification (self- or mother-identified) 5. Child between ages 6.5 and 8.0 years at screening 6. Participation of child with mother who identifies as a primary caregiver 7. Confirmed child prepubertal status by mother-report on the indicated pubertal staging scale 8. Child and mo…
Interventions
- BehavioralFamily-Based Treatment (FBT)
The FBT intervention entails 20 weekly sessions (30 min each) with girls and their families and 20 corresponding parent-only group sessions (40 min each). The family sessions provide protocol-based tailored support for behavioral skills related to family eating and physical activity change and focus on feedback, accountability, and problem solving for skill use and barriers and goal-setting specific to each family. The parent only group sessions provide education focused on behavior change as well as guidance focused on parenting in areas of healthy eating and active living. Treatment components will include a Healthy Eating Plan (Stoplight Eating Plan), Physical Activity Goals, and Behavioral Skills.
Location
- University of WashingtonSeattle, Washington