Milk-Tot Study: Impact of Whole Versus Low-fat Milk on Child Health

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS · Jan 19, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The Milk-Tot Study is an important research project aimed at understanding how different types of milk—whole milk versus low-fat (1%) milk—affect children's health, particularly in preventing obesity. The study is looking for parents of children aged 1 to 4 years who are willing to provide either whole milk or 1% milk to their child for a full year. This will help researchers determine the best milk option to support healthy growth and development while minimizing the risk of becoming overweight.

To participate, parents need to have access to a smartphone and a computer with the internet, and they should be able to read and speak English, as study materials will be in English. Participants will be asked to complete surveys and dietary assessments throughout the study. It's important to note that certain children, such as those with specific medical conditions or dietary restrictions, may not be eligible. If selected, families can expect to contribute to valuable research that could impact nutritional guidelines for children in the future.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Parents of children: 1) willing to be randomized to provide either only whole or 1% milk to their child for 1 year, 2) access to a smart phone and a tablet, laptop or computer with internet and email at home, 3) ability to speak and read English or Spanish for the purposes of receiving study communications and completing surveys and dietary assessments (to avoid needing to translate all study materials and have research staff fluent in other languages due to budget limits), 4) not planning to move outside of the San Francisco Bay Area or discontinue being child's primary caregiver for the next year (e.g., foster care, parent separation).
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Children: 1) \<23 months or \>48 months old at recruitment; 2) condition or medication that affects growth or daily feeding, or cardiometabolic health such as hypopituitarism, growth hormone deficiency, inborn error of metabolism, syndromic obesity, familial hypercholesterolemia, 3) weight-for-length or height below the 2nd percentile, 4) lactose intolerance, milk allergy or other dietary restrictions (e.g., vegan) that impact ability to consume dairy or otherwise limit dietary intake, 5) resides in more than one household (e.g., shared care by separated parents), 6) current participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) (which provides milk as part of benefits), 7) not covered by public or private medical insurance (may reduce well-child doctor visits). If two eligible children are in a household, one will be randomly selected to participate.