Obesity Abstracts

Background: Health, Exercise and Nutrition for the Really Young (HENRY) is a public health intervention developed to address the challenges of children living with obesity. A feasibility trial is ongoing into its effectiveness. Pre-existing literature highlights the need to consider the presence and effects of contamination between the research and control group in intervention studies.

Objectives: To investigate the ways and means of contamination in a childhood health intervention trial, (HENRY), and to consider the effects of any contamination.

Methods: This qualitative study involved focus groups and semi-structured interviews conducted at the same children’s centre where HENRY had been delivered. Children’s centre staff acted as gatekeepers, assisting with participant sourcing. Data was transcribed and thematically analysed. Ethics was obtained from Leeds University Research Ethics Committee.

Results: Data was collected from four focus groups of parents (including those who had and had not attended HENRY), and via semi-structured interviews with 16 parents and six members of centre staff. The amount of reported sharing of information by parents was variable. A number of mechanisms of contamination were found, which included social media, face-to-face, children’s centre programmes and staff and parent information sharing. However, sharing of information was usually only as a result of being asked for advice and the degree to which sharing impacted on behaviour change was not clear.

Conclusions: Results complement previous literature that contamination occurs in intervention studies. Recommendations are suggested for future studies to consider the extent, nature and effects of contamination on the results of their intervention.

Keywords: Public health intervention, contamination in intervention studies, HENRY

Disclosures: Conflicts of Interest: All authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Funding disclosure: The trial is funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR)’s Trainees Coordinating Programme awarded to the Chief Investigator [MB] (CDF-2014-07-052). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health.