Efficacy of a 24-month behavioral intervention focused on sugary beverage reduction for Latino mother-infant dyads: evidence from a randomized controlled trial

Background

Childhood obesity disproportionately impacts marginalized and under-resourced communities, particularly Latinos. Although consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and juices (SSBJs) in infancy is linked to increased obesity, few early-life interventions have targeted SSBJ reduction.

Objectives

To determine the efficacy of a culturally tailored home intervention for reducing SSBJ intake and obesity risk in Latino mothers and infants.

Methods

Mother-infant dyads (N = 210) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 interventions for 2 years: 1) general health education (Control); 2) SSBJ intake reduction education (Intervention); 3) intervention plus home water delivery (Intervention + Water Delivery). Trained interventionists delivered education sessions 2 days/month during year 1 and 1 day/month during year 2. Mixed-effects models were used to examine changes in sugar consumption and weight-related outcomes over time by group for mothers and infants separately.

Results

The mean prepregnancy BMI for mothers was 28.1 ± 5.6 kg/m². Mothers receiving Intervention + Water Delivery demonstrated significantly greater reductions in consumption of free sugars from beverages from baseline to 12 months compared to the other 2 groups, where free sugars are total sugars except lactose (B: –7.98 g; 95% CI: (–13.96 g, –2.00 g), P = 0.009, P_FDR = 0.036). However, this effect was not apparent in year 2. Group differences for infant sugar consumption followed a similar pattern but were smaller and nonsignificant. Weight-related outcomes were not significantly associated with treatment group for mothers or infants.

Conclusions

This intervention, combined with home delivery of bottled water, was effective in reducing sugar consumption from beverages for Latina mothers by roughly 8 g/day in the first year after childbirth. However, this effect was not maintained and was not significant for infants. More comprehensive and sustained strategies are likely needed to maintain efficacy and improve outcomes related to weight or body composition, particularly for infants.

This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03141346.