Helping Latino Families Reduce Childhood Obesity and Chronic Disease Risk
Official title: Caregivers as the Agent of Change for Childhood Obesity and Chronic Disease Risk Among Latino Families
Funded at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles · NIH-11138438 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project explores a new way to help Latino children and their parents manage weight and lower the risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Children's Hospital of Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project start | September 24, 2021 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $720,068 |
| NIH project number | 5P50MD017344-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11138438 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are Latino families with children who are overweight or obese and at risk for chronic diseases, along with at least one participating parent.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who are not Latino or whose children are not overweight or obese would likely not benefit directly from this specific program.
What this research studies
Latino children often face higher rates of overweight and obesity, which can lead to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. This project focuses on a parent-based treatment approach, where parents receive support to help their children manage weight, without the child directly participating in every session. We are comparing a culturally tailored telehealth program for Latino families with a general health education group. The goal is to find an effective and lasting way to improve health for both children and their parents.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this program could offer Latino families a culturally sensitive and accessible way to improve their children's health and reduce the risk of serious chronic conditions.
How similar studies have gone: Family-based treatment is known to be effective for childhood weight management, and this project builds on that by tailoring an emerging parent-based approach for Latino families.
Where this research is happening
-
Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Boutelle, Kerri N — Children's Hospital of Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Boutelle, Kerri N
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Helping Latino families tackle childhood obesity and chronic disease risk
This study is testing a new program that helps Latino parents learn how to make healthier choices for their overweight children, using online support to make it easier for families to join in and see if it works better than regular health education.
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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.
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A hybrid mobile-family program to prevent obesity in preschoolers
A neighborhood-friendly program uses in-person meetings plus mobile phone support to help Latino families with 2- to 5-year-olds adopt healthier eating, less screen time, and more activity to prevent obesity.
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Adapting a proven kids’ lifestyle program to boost reach and impact
A study from Stanford aims to spread and improve a well-proven healthy-lifestyle program for children with obesity so more families can use it effectively.
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Strengthening obesity risk screening and referrals in early childhood
A 3-year study in New York aims to make it easier to find and connect families with social supports to prevent obesity from infancy into later childhood.
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Childhood obesity and cardiometabolic health in Latino youth from low-income families
This project follows Mexican American kids from birth through mid-adolescence to understand how weight and heart health develop over time.
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.