Baby-Act Intervention to Prevent Excessive Infant Weight Gain: Results From the Intervention Components

Objectives: Baby-Act was a cluster-randomized controlled trial for preventing excessive infant weight gain in low-income participants of the Puerto Rico WIC program. The behavioral theory-based intervention included responsive feeding, infant activation, healthy sleep, and limiting sedentary behaviors. It was delivered through weekly online lessons, reinforced with weekly texts and monthly calls with a dietitian from pregnancy to age 1. We report here the data collected from lessons and calls among intervention participants (n=207). Methods: Weekly lessons were completed on an online educational platform. Each lesson addressed one of the 4 topics with culturally appropriate information and included a goal setting, which was reviewed in the next lesson. Data was saved in the platform and downloaded at the end of the trial. Monthly calls asked about confidence in meeting goals, and how text messages and lesson recommendations were helpful; data was entered into RedCap. Descriptive statistics included frequency and percent. Results: Eighty-one percent completed >1 lesson; 91.7% reported achieving their weekly goal, and 93.9% felt highly/moderately confident in meeting their weekly goals. Only 3% identified barriers to completing their weekly goals, and among those, only 4 moms reported how they overcame them such as reaching out to the WIC peer breastfeeding consultant or implementing the sleep recommendations provided. Also, 95% reported reading the texts sent and 99% reported they were helpful. Among the 5% that reported not reading the text, the reasons were lack of time (57.8%), technical issues (24.2%), or not receiving the texts (18.2%). When asked how texts were helpful, 83.6% reported that they reminded them to complete the lessons, and 12.9% said the recommendations were helpful and age-appropriate. When asked how the recommendations provided in the lessons were helpful, 20.7% said they learned new information, 17.4% reported that they provided examples of activities to do with their baby, 10.3% reported they were age-appropriate practical recommendations, and 8.7% reported they were reinforcement. Conclusions: Intervention participants in the Baby-Act trial felt confident in meeting weekly goals, with most achieving them. Most read the texts and thought the recommendations provided were helpful.