Mothers Action Project to improve young children's dental health and nutrition
Official title: MAP for Child Health: Using Social Networks to Improve child health and oral health
Funded at Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester · NIH-11307180 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project offers a year-long neighborhood group program to help South Asian mothers change feeding and tooth-care habits for 1–5 year-olds to lower tooth decay and unhealthy weight.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Worcester, United States) |
| Project start | September 9, 2021 |
| Project end | February 28, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,263,224 |
| NIH project number | 5UH3DE030070-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11307180 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are low-income South Asian immigrant mothers (or primary caregivers) of children aged 1–5 who face social pressures around feeding and oral care and live in the study area.
✕Less likely to help
Families who are not South Asian, do not live locally, have children outside the 1–5 age range, or already have healthy feeding and oral-care routines may be unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
You would join a 12-month group program that brings together nearby South Asian mothers to share practical strategies for healthier feeding and tooth brushing for toddlers and preschoolers. The program focuses on shifting social pressures from elders and neighbors that encourage sugary foods, milk additives, and other habits that harm teeth and nutrition. Sessions use peer support, skill-building, and culturally relevant education to change the social context around child feeding and oral hygiene. The team will follow children's oral health and nutrition outcomes over the year to see whether the neighborhood approach reduces early childhood caries and related problems.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could lower rates of tooth decay and nutrition-related disease in young children by changing family and neighborhood feeding and oral-care practices.
How similar studies have gone: Prior individual-focused educational programs have shown limited impact on childhood caries and obesity, while neighborhood or social-network approaches are newer and show promise but remain less tested in this population.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester
Worcester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Karasz, Alison — Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester
- Study coordinator: Karasz, Alison
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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.