Pediatrics ·
Father-Inclusive Program Linked to Lower Rapid Infant Weight Gain
A randomized trial of 227 mother-father dyads in Massachusetts tested virtual coaching and multimedia education from pregnancy through the infant’s first year. The program was associated with lower odds of rapid infant weight gain at 6 and 12 months, but not with lower infant overweight at 12 months.
- Trial enrolled 227 mother-father dyads.
- Rapid infant weight gain odds were lower at 6 and 12 months.
- Infant overweight did not differ significantly at 12 months.
- Maternal weight outcomes were not significantly different.
In this 2020–2023 randomized clinical trial, 227 English- or Spanish-speaking mother-father dyads enrolled during the second trimester were assigned to the First Heroes program or a safety-education control. The intervention comprised three virtual health-coaching sessions and multimedia content delivered from pregnancy through 12 months postpartum. Outcomes included rapid infant weight gain, infant overweight at 12 months, and parental weight-related measures and health behaviors.
Among 194 infants, the intervention group had lower adjusted odds of rapid weight gain at 6 months (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.42; 95% CI, 0.19–0.93) and 12 months (aOR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.25–0.99) than the control group. There was no significant difference in infant overweight at 12 months. Fathers in the intervention group had a greater BMI reduction at 6 months postpartum (adjusted difference, −1.08; 95% CI, −2.06 to −0.11); maternal weight outcomes did not differ significantly.
The findings suggest that including fathers in family-based prevention may affect early infant growth, but the trial did not show a difference in infant overweight. The results are from one Massachusetts health care system, and the authors note that strategies to sustain prevention across infancy warrant further study.
In practice
For families enrolled during pregnancy, a father-inclusive program combining virtual coaching and educational content was associated with lower odds of rapid infant weight gain through 12 months. However, the trial found no significant difference in infant overweight at 12 months, and maternal weight outcomes were also not significantly different. These results support further evaluation of family-based prevention approaches but do not establish that this program prevents infant overweight or justify a change in routine clinical practice; the study was conducted in one Massachusetts health care system.
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Pediatrics: Father-Inclusive Perinatal Obesity Prevention: A Randomized Clinical Trial ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.