2076-P: A Home-Learning Program for Improving Diet and Activity in Rural Children: The Kids PowerUP Pilot Study

Introduction and Objective: Rates of childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes are rising in rural communities, yet traditional school-based interventions have had limited success. We utilized a multi-component, family-centered approach to support children through personalized engagement with a home-based learning program. Our objective was to assess reach, feasibility, and acceptability of the intervention and control programs, and of virtual data collection. Methods: We recruited children age 7 to 10 years living in rural Colorado and North Carolina using flyers, community events, social media outreach, and medical record messaging. The intervention provided 16 parent-guided activity kits and 9 virtual support sessions over 6 months. The control program provided 6 monthly STEM activity kits. Participants completed pre- and post-program surveys, self-measured anthropometrics, self-sampling of capillary blood, and accelerometry, and were invited to do a post-program qualitative interview. Results: We received 187 interest surveys; 72 participants consented, and 67 completed baseline data collection and were randomized (35 intervention, 32 control). Eleven intervention and five control participants withdrew during the program, and 44 completed post-program data collection thus far, including 14 qualitative interviews. Intervention participants completed a median of 14 kits (IQR 6-16) and 2 coaching sessions (IQR 1-4) over a median duration of 34 weeks. Qualitative data indicated that emphasizing family involvement would support engagement for both programs, and that reducing study duration and number of kits of intervention kits may further facilitate completion. Conclusion: This pilot study demonstrates that the home-based Kids PowerUP program and STEM control programs are feasible, with successful completion of remote data collection procedures.