JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, NEWS RELEASE
Six brief lessons to new mothers, delivered by trained Native American family health coaches, improved healthy growth in babies in randomized clinical trial
Lessons on healthy feeding practices delivered to young mothers through a brief home-visiting intervention put Native American infants on a healthier growth trajectory, lowering their risks for obesity, according to a study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health at the Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Prior research suggests that adult obesity, which is linked to heart disease and diabetes, can be programmed early in life. Native Americans have particularly high rates of obesity starting in childhood--it is estimated that more than one-third of Native American 2- to 5-year-olds are overweight or obese.
In the study, published November 9 in JAMA Pediatrics, Native American home visitors delivered six 45-minute nutrition lessons to mothers of infants on the Navajo Nation. The intervention, conducted when infants were 3 to 6 months old, taught mothers to adopt optimal feeding practices for their babies, including avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages.
The program, known as Family Spirit Nurture, is a six-lesson curriculum built on a federally endorsed home-visiting program designed by the Center for American Indian Health to improve maternal and child outcomes for Native American families.
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