# Targeting Behavioral Adjustment and Healthy Lifestyle in Preschool-Age Children Using an Integrated Family-Based Intervention

> **NIH NIH P20** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA · 2020 · $203,181

## Abstract

At school entry, many children encounter difficulties because of social, emotional, and behavioral problems,
which can co-occur with, and be complicated by, unhealthy lifestyle behaviors such as low physical activity,
excessive screen time, and inadequate sleep. Despite the fact that both domains are critical to child
development, most of the research on preventive interventions with young children has focused on either one
domain or the other, but seldom both. There is a clear need for family-based interventions that integrate the
two domains because parents exert major influence on both social-emotional-behavioral functioning and
healthy lifestyle. With preschool-age children, addressing parenting and family environment represents one of
the stronger modes of intervention. Utilizing referrals from community-based organizations serving
economically disadvantaged as well as high-risk families, this study addresses both health and behavioral
domains through a family-based intervention. The home-delivered prevention intervention includes content on
strengthening positive behaviors in children, managing misbehavior, and addressing healthy lifestyle choices.
Families engage in practical skill building (e.g., behavioral teaching; planned activities training) and have the
opportunity to practice these skills and receive feedback. The study involves a preliminary evaluation of the
feasibility and initial viability of an integrated intervention, as well as the collection of information on other
essential components regarding the delivery of the intervention. The sample includes high-risk families who
have at least one preschool-age child and who have been referred for services through a community-based
agency. The design involves randomization of 60 families to either the home-delivered integrated intervention
or a wait-list control. The preliminary study: 1) evaluates the feasibility and acceptability (e.g., participant
recruitment, retention during intervention, and dosage/participation) of an integrated intervention with families
in an elevated-risk sample; 2) examines changes in child (e.g., behavioral problems, physical activity, sleep)
and parent (e.g., stress, parental confidence) outcomes as a function of intervention; and 3) evaluates the
assessment protocol with respect to acceptability and barriers encountered by participants. This study is
significant because it intervenes with young children to promote positive outcomes as children enter school.
The study is innovative in addressing concurrently the two domains of social-emotional-behavioral functioning
and healthy lifestyle behaviors in 3- to 4-year-old children through a home-delivered family-based intervention.
Intervention for families of preschoolers addressing the prevention of child behavior problems and the
promotion of healthy lifestyles will create the best outcomes for young children as they enter Kindergarten.
Results of this study will inform decisions about the design of a well...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9852060
- **Project number:** 1P20GM130420-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Kristen D. Seay
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $203,181
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9852060

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9852060, Targeting Behavioral Adjustment and Healthy Lifestyle in Preschool-Age Children Using an Integrated Family-Based Intervention (1P20GM130420-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9852060. Licensed CC0.

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