Research Project Description:

As described above, the original study proposed (a) the development of a multistage psychoeducational nutritional intervention to reduce exposure to obesogenic factors from as early as the beginning of pregnancy through early infancy in 500 mother-infant dyads and (b) the assessment of the effect of this intervention in programming a child’s dietary/feeding habits, growth trajectory and metabolic profile. The whole duration of the study was 3 years.

The current proposal aims to use this opportunity to develop the content and methodology of the psychoeducational intervention. The Intervention package will consist of 3 educational modules targeted to parents at 3 different time periods during pregnancy or early life of the child: 14-16 weeks of pregnancy, 28-30 weeks of pregnancy and at 3 months of baby’s life. Each educational module will consist of 2 sessions and will include key information on diet/feeding practices (educational content) in combination with a motivational interviewing approach (psychological process) to establish positive attitudes and enhance positive changes with regards to healthy eating patterns. The material will be developed with the expertise of a multidisciplinary team including a dietician, psychologist, pediatrician, and lactation consultant.

The development of the intervention and testing with a relevant audience will increase the readiness of the research team to conduct this project and will increase the competitiveness of the consortium to secure future funding to investigate its effectiveness as proposed in the original study.

Principal Investigator(s) and Coordinating Institution(s):

  • Dr Ourania Kolokotroni, University of Nicosia Medical School, Cyprus*
    • * Present Affiliation Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus

Researchers at University of Nicosia Medical School:

  • Dr Maria Cecilia Mosquera
  • Dr Annalisa Quattrocchi
  • Dr Mary Economou

Research Project Acronym: EARLY START

Funding Institution: University of Nicosia Medical School

Funding Programme: 2019 Call of the University of Nicosia Medical School Research Seed Fund

Research Project Status: Ongoing

Start and End Dates: November 2019 – June 2022