i-MaCHeL Study is a Two-group, Cluster-RCT, Involves 460 Preschool's Child-parent Dyads, to Prevent Childhood Obesity

Background: Strategies to treat and prevent obesity are urgently required in Malaysia, and it is now considered a public health priority. Aims: The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the i-MaCHeL intervention for preschool's child-parent dyads. The primary objective of the present study is to compare the changes in the child BMI-for-age z-score at 3- and 9-month after baseline measurement. The secondary objectives of the present study are to compare the changes in child dietary intake, child physical activity, child health-related quality of life, parental self-efficacy, parental role modeling, and parental policies at 3- and 9-month after baseline measurement. Study design: The i-MaCHeL intervention is a single-blind, two-group cluster-randomized controlled trial that evaluates the effectiveness of a 3-month obesity prevention intervention on preschool's child-parent dyads at 3- and 9-month after baseline. The participating preschools (n=12) will be randomized to either the intervention or control group in a 1:1 ratio. The present study will involve 460 child-parent dyads of preschool children aged 5 and 6 years old and their parents in Terengganu, Malaysia. Briefly, the preschool children in the experimental group will be received the i-MaCHeL program delivered through interactive classroom instruction, and their parents will have access to the i-MaCHeL Web-based program. In the control group, the preschool children will be received a standard preschool health education curriculum, and their parents will have access to the general Web-based health newsletters. Instruments: Anthropometric measurements (body weight and height) will be assessed according to the WHO standard procedures. Dietary intake of children will be measured using dietary records for three days. Child physical activity, child health-related quality of life, parental role modeling, parental policies, and parental self-efficacy will be assessed using previously validated parent-pro