Development of an online nutrition education learning module targeting inappropriate modifications to bottles of prepared infant formula

Introduction) For normal, healthy infants, the addition of infant cereal to bottles of prepared infant formula is not recommended. However, it is a behavior reported to occur with relative frequency in some populations. In the first phase of this project, conducted among low-income, formula-feeding mothers of young infants (<3 months old), results showed that ~45% of these mothers reported having added infant cereal at least once. Therefore, the objective was to develop targeted nutrition education messages designed to reduce the use of cereal in the bottle.

Methods) Phase I results provided guidance for development of prototype messages. These messages were revised based on in-depth interviews with low-income mothers of formula-fed infants, and further refined via nominal group process conducted with both experts and paraprofessionals. Finally, an additional set of in-depth interviews with the target population resulted in development of two over-arching messages, designed to reduce improper modifications to bottles of prepared infant formula. The messages focus on the satiating property of properly-prepared infant formula and on relative infant stomach size.

Results/Discussion) The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Mothers, Infants, and Children (WIC) is implementing online learning as an alternative to, or in conjunction with, traditional classroom education. In collaboration with Extension, using the Moodle platform, the final messages were used to develop two online learning modules: the first delivers the messages via slideshow and narration, while the second overlays several interactive components. These modules will be tested using an RCT design, including three groups (intervention 1; intervention 2; control).