Childhood obesity is a global public health problem. The first year of life is critical for obesity prevention, and during this period infant-feeding is an essential determinant of childhood obesity. Infant-feeding interventions to prevent childhood obesity demonstrate inconsistent findings. An important reason for observed heterogeneity of intervention effects is variability in what outcomes are measured and how they are measured. I previously developed a core outcome set of what infant-feeding outcomes are essential to measure in evaluating interventions to prevent childhood obesity. Determining how to measure these outcomes is an essential next step and represents a key knowledge gap for childhood obesity prevention. This project aims to develop a standardised outcome measurement set (SOMS), including reliable, valid, and appropriate measures of core infant-feeding outcomes for implementation in research and practice. Developing a SOMS is timely and critical to enhance synthesis and evaluation of childhood obesity prevention interventions.
The methodological approach follows best practice guidance from the COSMIN Initiative. The project will be conducted in three sequential work packages. Work package 1 identifies existing measurement instruments through engaging with stakeholders and a systematic review of the literature. Work package 2 identifies the quality of measurement instruments by reviewing and evaluating the measurement properties of identified measurement instruments. Work package 3 comprises stakeholder consensus processes to determine the final SOMS, recommendations for use, an implementation plan, and plans for future research. The Knowledge to Action Framework informs the project, ensuring that knowledge and resources generated are actionable and informed by research, policy, and practice.
This project will develop a stakeholder-informed SOMS for core infant-feeding outcomes for interventions to prevent childhood obesity. The measurement set provides an immediately actionable resource for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to help minimise waste, and evaluate childhood obesity prevention interventions.
