mHealth for Prevention of Childhood Obesity in Mexico

Summary

Background: The sending of text messages (short messaging service, SMS) has been proven as an effective strategy in behavior change. In Mexico, the Strategy of Comprehensive Care for the Nutrition (EsIAN for its acronym in Spanish ) focuses on improving access to information for the main caregivers of child beneficiaries on the practice of infant feeding and healthy physical activity.

Objective: To assess whether the mHealth (or mobile health) strategy or the sending of SMS has an effect on knowledge, attitudes, intentionality, perceived control and practices to prevent childhood malnutrition in a population living in poverty.

Design: Randomized effectiveness trial by conglomerates. Participants: 400 primary caregivers of children \<59 months and health personnel working in the health units included in the study.

Control group: Healthy child care in standard health units plus exposure to EsIAN.

Intervention group: In addition to the control group, the SMS are sent through a cell pone through the RapidPro platform on practices related to prevention of child malnutrition (in primary caregivers) and the reinforcement of counseling for the prevention of infant malnutrition (with health personnel).

Randomization: The first level health units were stratified by state (Morelos or Yucatan); rural and urban area and affiliation institution (Secretary of Health or Mexican Institute of Social Security); and randomized to be assigned to the control or intervention group; 400 primary caregivers of children \<59 months in total will be included for the study.

Main measures of interest: State of nutrition and knowledge, attitudes or practices on breastfeeding, physical activity, adoption and preparation of healthy foods and beverages in primary caregivers of children\<5 years old; and advice on the key messages of EsIAN by health providers.

Conditions

• Overweight and Obesity

Interventions

OTHER

Control group

Standard child care in health unit plus exposure to EsIAN

BEHAVIORAL

SMS´s sending by cell phone for behavior change

SMS messages sent through a cell pone through the RapidPro platform on practices related to the prevention of infant malnutrition to primary caregivers and the strengthening of counseling for the prevention of infant malnutrition with health providers.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• UNICEF

  collaborator OTHER

• Mexican National Institute of Public Health

  lead OTHER_GOV

Principal Investigators

• Anabelle Bonvecchio, PhD · Mexican National Institute of Public Health

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Max Age

59 Months

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-08-01

Primary Completion

2020-11-01

Completion

2021-09-06

Countries

• Mexico

Study Locations