Changes in diet quality and home food environment in preschool children following weight management

Background Family-based obesity treatment interventions can successfully reduce energy intake in preschoolers. An implicit goal of obesity treatment interventions is to improve diet quality, but diet quality has been less examined as a treatment outcome in studies of preschoolers. The purpose of this study was to conduct a secondary analysis comparing the change in diet quality and home food environment in preschoolers assigned to a behavioral family-based obesity intervention (LAUNCH), motivational interviewing (MI) condition, or standard care (STC) condition. Methods Three 24-h dietary recalls were completed at baseline and 6-months and were analyzed using NDS-R software; diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010). Availability of foods and beverages in the home was assessed through direct observation using the Home Health Environment tool that classifies foods and beverages as ‘red’ or ‘green’ based upon fat and sugar content. Repeated measures linear mixed effects models were used to examine changes in diet quality and home food environment between conditions (LAUNCH, MI, STC). Results At 6-months, preschoolers in the LAUNCH condition had a higher HEI-2010 total score (62.8 ± 13.7) compared to preschoolers in the MI (54.7 ± 13.4, P = 0.022) and STC (55.8 ± 11.6, P = 0.046) conditions. Regarding the home food environment, families in LAUNCH had significantly less ‘red’ foods in their home at 6-months (12.5 ± 3.4 ‘red’ foods) compared to families in MI (14.0 ± 3.7 ‘red’ foods, P = 0.030), and STC (14.3 ± 3.4 ‘red’ foods, P = 0.006). There were no statistically significant differences across home food environments for number of ‘green’ foods. Conclusion Family-based obesity treatment interventions for preschoolers can improve overall diet quality and alter the home food environment through reductions in ‘red’ foods. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01546727 . Registered March 7, 2012.