# A Novel Obesity Prevention Program for High-Risk Infants in Primary Care

> **NIH NIH R01** · CINCINNATI CHILDRENS HOSP MED CTR · 2024 · $305,280

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Unprecedented rates of obesity are occurring in childhood and disproportionally affect Black youth,
Hispanic/Latinx youth, and youth from economically marginalized backgrounds beginning as early as infancy.
Obesity in infancy is not outgrown, tracks into adulthood, and places infants and children with obesity at a
higher risk for significant medical comorbidities (e.g. cardiometabolic complications) in adulthood. The
healthcare cost of obesity is ~$260 billion annually across the lifespan. Recent evidence suggests that infancy
may be a critical period for the development of this high weight trajectory, as 10% of infants meet criteria for
high weight-for-length; with the incidence being even higher among infants of color (16.3%), infants of
Hispanic/Latinx ethnicity (12.1%), and economically marginalized infants (12.2%). Several modifiable
predictors of obesity risk have been identified in infancy, including rapid weight gain in the first year, parental
use of food to regulate infant distress, early introduction to solid foods, and insufficient infant total cumulative
sleep. These risk factors are higher among Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and economically marginalized infants.
Thus, obesity prevention starting in infancy has been advocated. The proposed research project addresses a
novel opportunity for prevention in pediatric primary care, by pilot testing a promising, innovative infant obesity
prevention intervention that utilizes a responsive parenting paradigm (e.g. promotes healthy infant regulation)
to target the development of healthy feeding and sleep behaviors in infancy. The intervention will be delivered
within pediatric primary care via an emerging model of integrated behavioral health. A responsive parenting
approach to obesity prevention is strengths-based and focuses on accurate caregiver interpretation of infant
cues, feeding behaviors, soothing, and sleep, rather than potentially stigmatizing messaging related to obesity,
and thus, is more salient to caregivers of infants than an obesity-focused intervention. We will conduct a pilot
RCT comparing our responsive parenting intervention to treatment as usual in 138 infants who are from
communities of color (e.g., non-White; Hispanic/Latinx) or economically marginalized backgrounds (i.e.,
publicly insured). Families will receive four prevention sessions with the integrated behavioral health specialist
at their routine primary care well-child visits during the first six months of life. The primary outcome is
conditional weight gain (an indicator of rapid weight gain) at 9 months of age. The responsive parenting
approach, delivered by an integrated behavioral health expert, has been culturally adapted for infants and
caregivers who are economically marginalized and/or from communities of color through focus groups. The
delivery of this intervention via integrated behavioral health in a pediatric primary care setting has the potential
to have a significant public heal...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10848215
- **Project number:** 5R01DK135497-02
- **Recipient organization:** CINCINNATI CHILDRENS HOSP MED CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** Tiffany Mary Rybak
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $305,280
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-06-01 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10848215

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10848215, A Novel Obesity Prevention Program for High-Risk Infants in Primary Care (5R01DK135497-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10848215. Licensed CC0.

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