Skip to Main Content

Preventing Childhood Obesity Through a Mindfulness-Based Parent Stress Intervention

  • Study HIC#:2000023271
  • Last Updated:01/01/0001

This study is enrolling caregivers of children between the ages of 2-5 to learn about the connection between stress, diet and exercise. It’s a 12 week outpatient study requiring weekly group involvement and blood draws. Payment is up to $715.00.

  • Age2 years - 5 years
  • GenderBoth

Contact Us

For more information about this study, including how to volunteer, contact:

Colleen McGowan

Help Us Discover!

You can help our team find trials you might be eligible for by creating a volunteer profile in MyChart. To get started, create a volunteer profile, or contact helpusdiscover@yale.edu, or call +18779788343 for more information.

Trial Purpose and Description

Low income, highly stressed, obese parents (N=240) of 2-5 year olds will be recruited from the greater New Haven community. Parent-child dyads will be randomly assigned to receive Parenting Mindfully for Health (PMH) + nutrition and physical activity counseling (N) or contact control intervention (C) + nutrition and physical activity counseling (N), and assessed at pre-, mid- and post-intervention, and at 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24- month follow-ups. Assessments will include clinical interview, health assessments, biological measures of parent stress (reported stress, heart rate, cortisol), parenting and child behaviors to the Toy Wait Task [TWT] challenge, parent and child food intake, physical activity obtained in part from a pedometer (parent) and accelerometer (child), and child BMI percentile scores. Parent BMI and metabolic variables (glucose, insulin, leptin, ghrelin, and cholesterol) will also be assessed. 

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Family with a child between 2-5 years;
BMI of parent & 30kg/m2;
parents aged 18 yrs or older;
High parent stress (PSS mean score &25);
Low income family as determined by HHS Poverty Guidelines.

Exclusion Criteria:

Diagnosis of mental retardation, autism or other pervasive developmental disorder for child;
Current serious psychiatric or medical disorder requiring immediate treatment, including active alcohol or substance use disorders (confirmed by urine toxicolology screening and history), psychotic illnesses, suicidal ideation, untreated diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancers or any other active current illnesses that preclude study participation for child or parent;
Inadequate English proficiency to complete questionnaires. 

Principal Investigator

For more information about this study, including how to volunteer, contact: