weSIPsmarter: a digital program to reduce sugary drinks among rural Head Start preschoolers and their parents
weSIPsmarter: An Adaptation and Efficacy Trial to Evaluate a Behaviorally Based Digital Health Intervention Aimed at Reducing Sugary Drinks Among Rural Head Start Preschoolers and Their Parents
This program will test whether weSIPsmarter, a parent-focused digital program, helps preschoolers and their parents in rural Head Start programs drink fewer sugary beverages.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 744 (estimated) |
| Ages | 2 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | University of Virginia Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Christiansburg, Virginia) |
| Trial ID | NCT07046351 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This cluster-randomized trial will enroll 12 rural Head Start programs randomized to either the weSIPsmarter digital intervention or a control condition (weLearn2Read) to compare effects on sugary drink intake. The team will use a user-centered design process guided by the Adaptome framework to adapt an existing evidence-based sugary drink reduction program for parents in Appalachia and the southern Black Belt (RUCC 4-9). One parent-child dyad per household (children aged 2–5) will participate, and sites must meet enrollment and capacity requirements. Outcomes include changes in child and parent sugary beverage consumption plus measures of external validity and scalability.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal participants are parents or legal guardians and their 2–5-year-old child who are enrolled in a participating rural Head Start program in the designated Appalachia or southern Black Belt regions and can provide consent.
Not a fit: Families who do not live in the eligible rural areas, whose children are outside the 2–5 age range, who cannot participate in digital programming, or whose parents participated in the study's formative work are unlikely to be eligible or to benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could lower sugary drink intake among preschoolers and their parents in rural communities, reducing risks for obesity and related chronic diseases.
How similar studies have performed: Prior digital and school-based interventions have produced modest reductions in sugary drink intake, but few randomized programs have specifically targeted rural Head Start preschoolers, making this adaptation relatively novel.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
1. Head Start sites: Head Start sites will be located in or adjacent to a rural county (RUCC 4-9), fall within the planned Appalachia and Black Belt regions, have an enrollment of 120 families or more, and exhibit commitment and capacity to the scope of work.
2. Participants: Children enrolled must be between the ages of 2 and 5 year, be enrolled in a participating Head Start, and have a legal guardian ("parent," able under law to consent for their child to participate) who has enrolled in the trial themselves and provided consent for the child. Only one parent-child dyad per household is eligible to participate in the trial.
Exclusion Criteria:
* Parents could not have participated in formative work for this study completed under SBS 4522.
Where this trial is running
Christiansburg, Virginia
- University of Virginia — Christiansburg, Virginia, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Study coordinator: Jamie Zoellner, PhD RD
- Email: jz9q@virginia.edu
- Phone: (434) 924-5999
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.