Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/18
Outputs Target Audience:Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in nutritional science courses; staff members of agencies that serve children; members of child advocacy groups; colleagues at professional meetings. Also, pediatricians, parent educators, and preschool teachers. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In theinitial yearsof theproject, studentswere trained in the use of accelerometers formeasuring motor activity, dietrecordingtoassess energy intake, and in data entry. (For the latteryears, thePI analyzed the data) Students at Rutgers University: Undergraduates enrolled in threecourses (i.e., Life Span Community Nutrition, Nutrition and Behavior, and Seminar in Child Obesity): and graduatestudents in twocourses (Advanced Topics in Nutrition: The First 1,000 Days, and Social and DevelopmentalFoundations of Human behavior). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Through lectures in various college classes, presentations at professionalconferences, publications in refereed jourmals, andbook chapters.ProfessionalAudiences: Attendees at the2018 OccasionalTemperament Conference (Murcia, Spain) and the International Congress on InfantStudies (Philadelphia). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts What was accomplished under these goals?
Wewouldjudgeour efforts to besuccessfulwithrespectto all three of our project goals. To wit: 1. With regard totracking the pattern of weight gain in a cohort of low-income minority children, the resultsofthis non-intervention studyunfortunately confirmed the stability, once established, of earlychild overweight.That is, the proportion of infants determined to be at or above the85th percentile of weight-for-length at 1-year for age and sex was sustained at 3- and 4-years. That is, the 40% whowere overweight in terms of weight-for length at 1-year, remained overweight based on theirBMI-for-age at 2-, 3-, and4-years. 2. With regard to examiningthe role of energy intake relative to energy expenditure in determining child weight, theresultssuggest amechanism more complex thansimpleenergy balance. That is, a statistical modelregressing variousfactors showed infantbirth weight, rapid weightgain, infantdifficultness, and reduced minutes of sleep aspromotinghigher toddler BMI at 2-years. In contrast, infantbirth weight, infant difficultness, reduced minutes of sleep, feeding insensitivity, and lower motoractivity predicted higherBMI-for-age at 3-years. In otherwords, maternal insensitivity to satietycues, likely linked to higher energyintake, and lower energy expenditurewere some, but not all of the significantpredictors. 3. With regard todeterminingif maternal feeding style predictedchild weight gain, or if feeding style is a response to child weight status, ourresultssuggest that feeding style drives early excess weight gain. That is, mothers who were more sensitivein feeding style, as displayedat 3-monthspostpartum, were more likely to be authoritative intheirparentingstyle whentheir children were at 3 years old. In turn, thechildren of the authoritative mothers were themost likelytobe of healthy weight (i.e., ~ 50th percentile), whereasthe children of mothers who reported an uninvolved parenting stylewere nearly at the80th percentile.
Publications
- Type:
Book Chapters
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Worobey, J. (2018). Risk factors for obesity in human infancy. In D. Davies and H. Fitzgerald (Eds.), Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence (2nd ed.). pp. 45-65. Santa Barbara: Praeger Press.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Worobey, J. (2018). Feeding sensitivity at 3-month predicts parental feeding style at 3-years. International Journal of Child Health and Nutrition, 7, 163-168.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Byrd-Bredbenner, C., Martin-Biggers, J., Povis, G.A., Worobey, J., Hongu, N., & Quick, V. (2018). Promoting healthy home environments and lifestyles in families with preschool children: HomeStyles, a randomized controlled trial. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 64, 139-151.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Quick, VM., Martin-Biggers, J., Povis, G.A., Worobey, J., Hongu, N., & Byrd-Bredbenner, C. (2018). Long-term follow-up effects of the HomeStyles Randomized Controlled Trial in families with preschool children on social cognitive theory constructs associated with physical activity cognitions and behaviors. Contemp Clin Trials. May;68:79-89. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2018.03.006. Epub 2018 Mar 14.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Santiago, E. & Worobey, J. (2018). Early fruit and vegetable introduction and its influence on later fruit and vegetable intake in 12-month-old low-income minority infants. FNCE 2018, Washington, DC, October.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Worobey, J. (2018). Infant predictors of toddler obesity. International Congress of Infant Studies, Philadelphia, July.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2018
Citation:
Worobey, J. (2018). Mothers of overweight infants: What, me worry? International Congress of Infant Studies, Philadelphia, July.
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Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17
Outputs Target Audience:Undergraduate students enrolled in nutritional science courses; staff members of agencies that serve children; members of child advocacy groups; colleagues at professional meetings. Also, pediatricians, parent educators, and preschool teachers. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two undergraduate students were supervisedintechniques of conducting research with young children, including data collection, coding, and cleaning. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Portions of our work were presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development. Project results were also shared with undergraduate students in three different undergraduate classes and with members of the New Jersey State WIC Advisory Council, members of the Alliance for a Healthier New Brunswick, and the Health Advisory Committee of Acelero Head Start in Middlesex and Monmouth counties. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to explore Associationsbetween pickyeatingin toddlerhood and diet variety in early childhood Differences between mothers of normal weight versus obese toddlers Whether higher energyintake and higher motor activiy are associatedin the preschool years.
Impacts What was accomplished under these goals?
At time of enrollment, 17% of the infants were at or above the 85th percentile for weight-for-length by age and sex. By 6 months, this percentage increased to 30% and by 12-months, to 40%. Unfortunately, this percentage was sustained at age 2, 3, 4 and 5 years as evidenced by higher BMIs for age and sex. While energy intake and motor activity did not emerge as factors predicting overweight through the first year (rather, maternal insensitivity to satiety signals was of greater influence), by 2 years of age it appeared that motor activity at 12 months, along with higher birth weight and weight gain from 3-6 months was predictive. That is, higher motor activity at 1 year was associated with lower BMI for age and sex at 2 years. As to feeding style, it was determined that higher maternal sensitivity to satiety signals at 3 months was predictive of a more ideal parenting style (authoritative) at 3 years. In our HomeStyles program study, it was found that the home environment's food supply was found to support healthy intakes of 100% juice and sugar-sweetened beverages, but provided too little milk and ample quantities of salty/fatty snacks. Physical activity levels, sedentary activity and the home's physical activity and media environment were found to be less than ideal.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Hainutdzinava, N., Weatherstone, K., & Worobey, J. (2017). Food cravings and aversions during pregnancy: A current snapshot. Journal of Pediatrics and Mother Care, 2(1), 110.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Quick, V., Martin-Biggers, J., Povis, G.A., Hongu, N., Worobey, J., & Byrd-Bredbenner, C. (2017). A socio-ecological examination of weight-related characteristics of the home environment and lifestyles of households with young children. Nutrients, 9, 604. doi:10.3390/nu9060604
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Byrd-Bredbenner, C. Martin-Biggers, J., Koenings, M., Quick, V., Hongu, N., & Worobey, J. (2017). HomeStyles, a web-based childhood obesity prevention program for families with preschool children: Design and methods for a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research Protocols, 6, e73. doi:10.2196/resprot.7544
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Worobey, J. Responsive feeding in infancy: Protection against child obesity Symposium at Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Austin, TX, April 2017.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Martin-Biggers, J., Quick, V., Byrd-Bredbenner, C., Worobey, J. Perceptions of childrens weight by mothers and fathers: Differences in concern and control Poster presented at Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Austin, TX, April 2017.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Other
Year Published:
2017
Citation:
Worobey, J. Temperament and cognition: Difficultness is one thing, tantrums are another Poster presented at Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Austin, TX, April 2017.
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Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16
Outputs Target Audience:Undergraduate students enrolled in nutritional science courses; staff members of agencies that serve children;members of child advocacy groups; colleagues in related academic departments. Also, pediatricians, parent educators, and family therapists seeking to promote positive parenting skills. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A number of undergraduate students learned techniques of conducting research with young children, including data collection, coding, and cleaning. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Through publication of a book chapter. Also, results of our work were shared with undergraduate students in two different college classes and shared with the New Jersry State WIC Advisory Council, members of the Alliance for a Healthier New Brunswick and the Health Advisory Committee of Acelero Head Start in Middlesex and Monmouth counties. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continued analysis of data collected to date with an analysis of early fruit and vegetable introduction; further dissemination of results; and collecting more data on children's dietary choices and attitudes toward weight.
Impacts What was accomplished under these goals?
Over the current reporting period, efforts were concentrated on the goal to determine if maternal feeding style predicts child weight gain, or if feeding style is a response to child weight status, that is, examining the association of maternal feeding style with childhood weight. Project Impact: While the literature on parenting styles has a relatively long history, with the Authoritative parenting style (Demanding but also Responsive) acknowledged as the most optimal, linkages to outcomes like BMI have only recently been explored. The results from our analysis serve to further validate the Authoritative style, but also underscore the importance of maternal sensitivity in infant feeding, as a possible bellwether of maternal control during early childhood that may have later impact on her child's weight status. These results will be of practical use to pediatricians, parent educators, and family therapists who seek to promote positive parenting skills as well as reduce the likelihood of toddlers in their care gaining excess weight. Project Accomplishments: For this project, low-income black and Latina mothers were recruited at a WIC center, and all formula-fed their infants. Sixty-five mother-infant pairs were observed at home while feeding when their infants were 3-months-old using the Nursing Child Assessment Feeding Scale (NCAFS)--a 76-item rating scale of mother and infant behaviors coded during a feed (Sumner & Spietz, 1994). When the infants reached 3-years of age, the dyads were again visited at home, when the children were weighed and measured and the mothers were asked to complete the Caregiver's Feeding Style Questionnaire (CFSQ)--a 31-item instrument that taps the physical and verbal feeding strategies a mother uses to get her child to eat (Hughes et al., 2005). To use the NCAFS, subscale scores for the mother are provided for her Sensitivity to Cues, Response to Child's Distress, Social-Emotional Growth Fostering, and Cognitive Growth Fostering, and a Caregiver Total score is then computed. A higher Caregiver Total score denotes a mother who is higher in sensitivity, responsivity, and growth fostering. For the CFSQ, the caregiver's Demandingness (D) and Responsiveness (R) subscales are computed, and are combined based on their magnitude into Authoritative (High D, High R), Authoritarian (High D, Low R), Indulgent (Low D, High R), and Uninvolved (Low D, Low R) parenting/feeding style scores. Results showed that the highest Caregiver Total at 3-months was associated with the Authoritative style at 3-years, with a score of 38.33. In contrast, the other three parenting styles hovered 33, as Authoritarian, Indulgent, and Uninvolved were at 32.25, 34.25, and 33.00, respectively. In addition, Body Mass Index (BMI = weight/height squared) percentile for age and sex was computed for each child at 3-years. Children whose mothers were categorized as Authoritative had the more optimal BMI, with their average being closest to the 50th percentile.
Publications
- Type:
Book Chapters
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2016
Citation:
Martin-Biggers, J.M., Worobey, J., and Byrd-Bredbenner, C. (2016) Interpersonal characteristics in the home environment associated with childhood obesity. In: Recent advances in obesity in children (pp.1-74). Berlin: Avid Science Publications www.avidscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/OIC-15-03_May-06-2016.pdf
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Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15
Outputs Target Audience:Undergraduate students enrolled in nutritional science courses; staff members of agencies that serve children;members of child advocacy groups; colleagues in related academic departments. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A number of undergraduate students learned techniques of conducting research with young children, including data collection, coding, and cleaning. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results of our work were shared with undergraduate students in three different college classes: Lifepan Community Nutrition, Nutrition for the Child in the Family and Community, and Nutrition and Behavior. Results were also shared with members of the Alliance for a healthier New Brunswick and the Health Advisory Committee of Acelero Head Start (Middlesex/Monmouth County.). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Continued analysis of data collected to date; further dissemination of results; and additional data collection of children's dietary choices and attitudes toward weight.
Impacts What was accomplished under these goals?
The proportion of infants (40%) determined to be at or above the 85th percentile of weight-for-length at 3-years for age and sex was sustained at 4- and 5-years. That is, the 40% of children who were previously shown to be overweight in terms of weight for length, remained overweight, based on BMI-for-age at 4- and 5-years. Further analysis of the data collected during the first year revealed that mothers who were rated the highest in terms of their sensitvity and responsivity when their infants were 3-months-old were likeliest to to be authoritaive (fair but firm) in their parenting style at 3-years. And as had been reported earlier, the children of mothers who were authoritative in their caregiving/feeding style when their children reached 3 years of age had the lowest BMIs at ages 3 and 4. In contrast, children whose mothers were classifed as indulgent or univolved had the highest BMIs.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2015
Citation:
Martin-Biggers, J., Spaccarotella, K., Delaney, C., Koenings, M., Alleman, G., Hongu, N., Worobey, J., & Byrd-Bredbenner, C. (2015). Development of the intervention materials for the HomeStyles obesity prevention program for parents of preschoolers. Nutrients, 7, 6628-6669. http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/7/8/5301/pdf
Nowlin., E.E., Worobey, J., & Worobey, H.S. (2015). Family meal and related-practices in families of preschoolers: Differences by family income. Creative Education (Special Issue on Family Education and Healthy Child Development), 6, 540-547. http://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2015.65054
Martin-Biggers, J., Spaccarotella, K., Hongu, K., Alleman, G., Worobey, J., & Byrd-Bredbenner, C. (2015). Translating it into real life: A qualitative study of the cognitions, barriers and supports for key obesogenic behaviors of parents of preschoolers. BMC Public Health, 15, 189 doi 10.1186/s12889-015-1554-3
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Progress 10/01/13 to 09/30/14
Outputs Target Audience: Undergraduate students with interests in nutrition and exercise science; staff members of agencies that serve children; members of child advocacy groups. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? A number of undergraduate students learned techniques of conducting research with young children, including data collection, coding, and cleaning. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Results of our work were shared with undergraduate students in three different college classes: Lifepan Community Nutrition, Obesity: Biology and Behavior, and Nutrition for the Child in the Family and Community. Results were also shared with members of the Alliance for a Healthier New Brunswick (NJ) and the New Jersey Breastfeeding Coalition. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Examine dietary components that are believed to bear on child health and behavior (e.g, sodium, potassium,. omega-3s and omega-6s).
Impacts What was accomplished under these goals?
The proportion of infants (40%) determined to be at or above the 85th percentile of weight-for-length at 1-year for age and sex was sustained at 3- and 4-years. That is, the 40% who were overweight in terms of weigh for length at 1-year, remained overweight, based on BMI-for-age at 3-years and 4-years. The children of mothers who were authoritative (fair but firm) in their caregiving/feeding style when they were 3 years of age had the lowest BMIs at ages 3 and 4. In contrast, children whose mothers were classifed as indulgent had the highest BMIs. The use of accelerometers to measure activity levels by children and mothers was piloted.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Worobey, J. and Trytko, U. (2014) Associations between maternal feeding style and child overweight. ICAN: Infant, Child, & Adolescent Nutrition, 6(4), 216-220.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2014
Citation:
Martin-Biggers, J., Spaccarotella, K., Berhaupt-Glickstein, A., Hongu, N., Worobey, J. & Byrd-Bredbenner, C. (2014). Come and get it! A discussion of family mealtime literature and factors affecting obesity risk. Advances in Nutrition, 5, 235-247.
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