IHBLT Program: Building Healthy Families (BHF)

Brief Description

"Building Healthy Families (BHF) is an evidence-based, Family Healthy Weight Management Program for children 6-12 years of age with BMI ≥95th percentile and their families. Adapted from the broadly tested and highly successful Traffic Light Diet, for implementation in small communities and rural areas, core components include nutrition education, lifestyle behavior change, and physical activity promotion. BHF uses in-person, small-group delivery in which positive and non-stigmatizing social support and peer interaction with other children, families and facilitators are key elements.

BHF includes a minimum of 32 contact hours and families attend 12 continuous weeks of education (2 hours/session) followed by 6 booster sessions out to one year. Education is provided to children and parents together and independently based on the topic and depth of information.

Unique to BHF is the Online Training Resources and Program Package that includes:

• Training modules that were collaboratively developed, reviewed, and refined from the perspective of community implementation teams that may not have any experience in delivering a family health weight management program.
  
  •  An overview module
  • Team specific modules focus on specific tasks such as program coordination, recruitment team development, nutrition education, lifestyle behavior change, and physical activity.
• Weekly session guides that provide videos of how to implement the session and all program content (e.g., presentation materials, handouts, lesson plans)
• Knowledge checks following each module ensure mastery of program components and embedded fidelity assessments for each session provide opportunities to assess implementation quality.
• Tailorable marketing materials (e.g., letters from school nurses or pediatricians, news releases, social media)
• An integrated data portal to allow users to track local program engagement and effectiveness.

In short, BHF and the Online Training and Program Package provides a community-friendly interface to guide community facilitators through all aspects of program start-up, recruitment planning and partnerships, delivery, evaluation, and sustainability"

Delivery Location

Community-Based

If Community-Based, Where

Any facility with a place to deliver education and a gym or area for physical activity.

Willingness to Connect with Medical Home

Yes

Health Outcomes

BHF is an adaptation of Epstein’s Traffic Light Eating Plan that has been tested, and demonstrated efficacy, in a large number of RCTs since 1980. The adaptation adhered to all core components of the program but adapted it for delivery in a micropolitan area serving a broader rural community. Our research has included BHF implementation across 11 unique cohorts of families (128 participants, mean age: 10.1±1.9 years ) and achieved clinically and statistically significant reductions in child zBMI (-0.25±0.21), similar to Epstein et al’s efficacy trials demonstrating that BHF is an evidence-based intervention that can be successfully delivered by community-based implementation. In addition, children significantly decreased body mass, fat mass, increased fat free mass and improved HDL-C while guardians saw significant decreases in body mass, body fat and enhanced fat-free mass.

Eligible Population

Families with at least one child with a BMI greater or equal to the 95th percentile between the ages of 6-12.

Length of Intervention

BHF includes 12 weekly sessions held in-person with both children and their families. Relapse prevention refresher sessions are continued to 12 months.

Links/Contact Info

https://buildinghealthyfamilies.us/

Lead Contact

Kate Heelan: heelanka@unk.edu