Unanswered questions and future research
CHILDHOOD OBESITY
In our study the intervention was effective in improving dietary and activity behaviors based on mothers’ self-reported estimates, but reducing BMI of children was only found among lower household income families. A possible explanation could be that the intervention may have missed other important risk factors that contribute to childhood obesity. It is therefore important for future research to explore the development of comprehensive interventions for assessing childhood obesity. In addition, with limited studies available on cost-effectiveness of interventions, future research should examine the cost-effectiveness of various intervention approaches. In this study we conducted three staged telephone and SMS interventions to mothers of children aged 2 years. The impact of the intervention dose (e.g., frequency of telephone calls or text messages) is also worth investigation. In addition, the impact of the pandemic on children’s eating, physical activity and screen time behaviors, as well as the intervention effects, requires further investigation as the pandemic significantly impacted the mental health of mothers with young children and their means of communication with health professionals [