The following is an Info Share on behalf of Western Sydney University.
What is the Strong Families Trial?
The Strong Families Trial will run a 6-week program for parents and carers. We will provide parents with knowledge and skills about parenting and healthy lifestyles. This new knowledge and skills may help improve the family environment, and this may prevent unhealthy weight gain in their children.
To know whether the program helps, we need to compare families who complete the program with families who do not. You will be randomly placed in either Group A Parenting program or Group B Usual support.
What does the study involve?
We will visit families three times – once at the beginning of the study and again in three and 15 months. At these visits we will ask you questions about yourself, your child, your family, eating behaviours, physical activity, self-esteem, parenting, and health care costs. We will also measure the height and weight of the participating child.
Parents and carers in Group A will take part in the Strong Families program. The program will be offered in English, Arabic, Hindi and Punjabi. Bilingual group leaders and 6-8 parents will meet weekly by video conference (Zoom). The program runs for six weeks, and each session goes for 90 minutes. About three months after the weekly sessions, you will attend two booster sessions. Each booster session goes for 45-60 minutes.
Who can participate in the study?
We are looking for families from selected postcodes in Greater Western Sydney. One parent and one child from each family can take part. Children need to be aged 5 to 11 years. If there are two or more children this age, then the child who had the most recent birthday can take part in the study.
Will I be paid?
You will not be paid to participate in the trial. As an appreciation of your time, and towards data, travel and childcare costs, we will give you gift cards. You will receive a $25 gift card for each study visit. If you are in Group A, you will receive a $15 gift card after finishing each session.
Who is running the study?
Professor Andre Renzaho leads this research at Western Sydney University in collaboration with experts in children’s health, nutrition, biostatistics and health economics from:
– Monash University
– University of Sydney
– Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
– University of Technology Sydney
Strong Families is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council. We have been approved by the Western Sydney University Human Research Ethics Committee (Approval number H13033).
Autism Advisory & Support Service are not affiliated with this trial. For more information including the participant information sheets in various languages and to complete the pre screening eligibility survey please click HERE
