Breastfeeding Intervention to Prevent Obesity Among Children

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn how to improve exclusive breastfeeding rates. The main questions it aims to answer are:

Do Hispanic mothers benefit from peer counseling support from peer counselors who can speak Spanish? Are mothers more likely to continue exclusive breastfeeding if additional funds are given so that the WIC exclusive breastfeeding package has the same cash value as the WIC formula feeding package?

Researchers will compare participants in the intervention group (who receive peer counseling and additional funds) to a control group (who do not receive peer counseling or additional funds) to see if the intervention package improves breastfeeding rates.

All participants (intervention and control) will complete weekly surveys about their feeding experiences ($8 per week). Members of the research team will also take infant weight/length measurements at home (twice during the first month and then at 2, 4, and 6 months). Participants will be recruited during pregnancy and the study will last for the first 6 months after their babies are born. Mothers and their infants are both participants in the study.

Participants in the intervention condition will also be matched with Spanish-speaking peer counselors who will visit mothers at home regularly (weekly at the beginning of the study, monthly at the end of the study). In Month 1, mothers can choose to receive a $150 gift card or an electric breast pump. In Months 2-5, if infants are signed up for the WIC exclusive breastfeeding package, infants will receive $100 and mothers will receive $50. If infants are signed up for the WIC partial breastfeeding package, infants will receive $50 and mothers will receive $30.

Conditions

• Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy
• Breastfeeding Continuation
• Breastfeeding Duration
• Breastfeeding Support

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Peer counseling

Participants in the intervention condition will be matched with Spanish-speaking peer counselors who will visit mothers at home regularly (weekly at the beginning of the study, monthly at the end of the study).

BEHAVIORAL

Additional funds

In Month 1, mothers can choose to receive a $150 gift card or an electric breast pump. In Months 2-5, if infants are signed up for the WIC exclusive breastfeeding package, infants will receive $100 and mothers will receive $50. If infants are signed up for the WIC partial breastfeeding package, infants will receive $50 and mothers will receive $30.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

  collaborator NIH

• Duke University

  collaborator OTHER

• University of North Carolina, Greensboro

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Jasmine M DeJesus, PhD · UNC Greensboro

• Jigna M Dharod, PhD · UNC Greensboro

• Aunchalee E. L. Palmquist, PhD · Duke University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

5 Days

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2025-03-17

Primary Completion

2027-06-30

Completion

2027-06-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations