Formative Research to Develop DC-SIPS: A Multilevel Intervention to Reduce Sugary Drink Intake and Promote Water Intake Among Black Youth in Washington, DC

Abstract

Objective: Develop a multilevel intervention to reduce sugary drink intake and increase water intake among African American children in Washington, DC.

Design: Qualitative interviews and surveys with pediatricians, children, and their parents. Three key phases of intervention development guided the research: (1) pediatrician (n = 6) feedback on the "Decreasing Children's Sugar Intake through Pediatricians and Social Marketing" intervention concept, (2) initial feedback from children (n = 10) and parents (n = 7) on intervention concept, branding and messaging content, and (3) additional feedback from children (n = 7) and parents (n = 6) on the revised branding and messaging content.

Setting: Pediatric primary care clinic in an underresourced area of Washington, DC.

Participants: Pediatricians, children aged 11-14 years seen at the clinic, and their parents.

Main outcome measures: Feedback on the intervention concept and prototype content.

Analysis: Thematic analysis for qualitative data and descriptive statistics for survey responses.

Results: All 3 key informant groups expressed enthusiasm for the intervention concept. Key suggestions included incorporating incentive-based challenges and suggestions for alternative beverages. Feedback on branding and messaging was primarily related to enhancing aesthetics and improving the relatability of the content.

Conclusions and implications: Formative research informed the development of a "Decreasing Children's Sugar Intake through Pediatricians and Social Marketing" intervention plan, which will be pilot-tested for feasibility and acceptability.

Keywords: children; formative research; qualitative research; social marketing; sugary drink.