Breastfeeding support to reduce obesity risk in children
Official title: Breastfeeding intervention to prevent obesity among children
Funded at University of North Carolina Greensboro · NIH-11397000 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A family-based program helps new Hispanic mothers in the WIC program breastfeed more and give babies a healthier start to prevent obesity and diabetes later.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of North Carolina Greensboro NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Greensboro, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $260,138 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK140892-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11397000 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Hispanic mothers enrolled in WIC who are giving birth and are planning to breastfeed, within a 6-month postpartum window.
✕Less likely to help
Families not enrolled in WIC or those unable to breastfeed for medical or personal reasons may see limited direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project tests a multi-component program from birth to six months that provides cash incentives or an electric breast pump and home-visiting support to encourage exclusive breastfeeding. It uses Social Cognitive Theory to boost mothers’ knowledge, skills, and confidence in breastfeeding. By enrolling 120 Hispanic mothers in WIC, the study aims to see if these supports increase exclusive breastfeeding duration and reduce obesity-related risks in infancy, potentially lowering future diabetes risk. The research focuses on translating evidence-based feeding strategies into real-world community settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help more infants stay at a healthy weight and reduce future diabetes risk, improving long-term health for families.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work suggests feeding choices influence obesity risk, but this exact approach in a randomized trial within a low-income Hispanic population is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of North Carolina Greensboro
Greensboro, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dharod, Jigna Morarji — University of North Carolina Greensboro
- Study coordinator: Dharod, Jigna Morarji
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Breastfeeding support to prevent childhood obesity
This project offers cash incentives, breast pumps, and home visits to help Hispanic mothers in WIC breastfeed only breast milk for the first six months to lower babies' excess weight gain.
-
Helping Latine families breastfeed to reduce obesity in children
This study is all about helping Latine families by encouraging breastfeeding to prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes in their children, offering support and rewards to low-income moms to make breastfeeding easier and more accessible.
-
Understanding how knee pain and knee obesity and muscle loss affect knee osteoarthritis
This project looks at how knee swelling, excess knee fat, and muscle loss relate to pain and structural changes in knee osteoarthritis in adults.
-
Understanding how maternal and infant sleep and daily rhythms influence early appetite and obesity risk
This project explores how infant sleep, circadian rhythms, and maternal-infant timing relate to early appetite patterns and the risk of obesity in the first year of life.
-
GLP-1 receptor agonists as immune targets to treat asthma in lean and obese adults
Aims to understand how GLP-1R‑agonist diabetes medicines may directly calm immune cells to reduce asthma in adults who are lean or obese.
-
Understanding how where you live and personal factors during pregnancy affect a child’s risk for obesity and metabolic problems
This project looks at how neighborhood conditions and individual factors during pregnancy may influence a child’s risk of obesity and metabolic health as they grow.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.