Lessons on early childhood obesity prevention interventions from the Victorian Infant Program

Abstract

Early childhood provides an opportunity to support parents to promote a range of healthy behaviours at a time of high engagement with family-focused health services. The Infant Program is believed to be the first of its kind to address healthy behaviours and obesity risk in the first year of life using a universally delivered service. The program is an efficacious, low-cost intervention, and many lessons have been learnt across the journey from a randomised controlled trial to small-scale community implementation. The evolution of the Infant Program highlights the value of applying a translational research process to best position interventions to be implemented at scale. It also illustrates the benefits that a sequential approach, a receptive environment and system-level support provide when seeking to integrate new interventions into routine health service delivery. Understanding these processes and factors leads to a better appreciation of the role each step plays in implementing population health interventions at scale.