TARGet Kids!: Measuring Nutrition in Young Preschool Children in the Primary Care Practice Setting
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- This is an observational study: the protocol does not assign a study treatment.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Nutritional Disorders, Obesity, Development. Basic parameters: up to 5 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Canada
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Overview
TARGet Kids! (The Applied Research Group for Kids) is a research study enrolling healthy children aged 0-5 years. The aim of the TARGet Kids! registry is to link early life exposures to health problems including obesity, micronutrient deficiencies, and developmental problems. TARGet Kids! represents an innovative collaboration between child health researchers and children's primary care doctors (pediatricians and family physicians) to promote research that really matters and create solutions to some of the today's biggest health concerns. The results of this collaborative research study are not only improving the quality of children's healthcare but also the health of children across the country. Coordinated by Sick Kids and St. Michael's Hospital with data management services by the Applied Health Research Centre (AHRC), TARGet Kids! is the only primary care research network for children in Canada.
Primary outcome measures
- Body Mass Index (BMI) [Time frame: 10 years (yearly measurements)]
Secondary outcome measures (8)
- Nutrition [Time frame: Yearly measurements]
- Development [Time frame: Yearly measurements]
- Mental Health [Time frame: Yearly measurements]
- Lifestyle Factors [Time frame: Yearly measurements]
- Child Behavior [Time frame: Yearly measurements]
- Social Determinants [Time frame: Yearly measurements]
- Education [Time frame: Yearly measurements]
- Parenting [Time frame: Yearly measurements]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Birth to less than 6 years of age
- Parental consent
- Attending a TARGet Kids! research network practice
Exclusion criteria
- Chronic illness with the exception of asthma
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Observational model
- Cohort
Study locations
Canada · 3 centers
- St. Michael's Hospital — Toronto
- Hospital for Sick Children — Toronto
- Melville Pediatric Center — Montreal
Publications
- Yoshida-Montezuma Y, Keown-Stoneman CDG, Jamnik J, Smith BT, Pabayo R, Kinlin LM, Vanderloo LM, Omand J, Maguire JL, Birken CS, Anderson LN. Changes in obesity and waist circumference in children and parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sci Rep. 2026 Jun 20. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-57151-8. Online ahead of print. PMID 42321251
- Borkhoff CM, Imsirovic H, Bayoumi I, Macarthur C, Nurse KM, To T, Feldman M, Lau E, Knight B, Birken CS, Maguire JL, Parkin PC. Developmental screening at 18 months using the Nipissing District Developmental Screen. Paediatr Child Health. 2025 May 11;30(6):477-485. doi: 10.1093/pch/pxaf023. eCollection 2025 Sep. PMID 41049705
- Kucab MD, Keown-Stoneman CD, Birken CS, Perlman M, Parsons J, D'Annunzio D, Thadani S, Allen CA, Maguire JL; TARGet Kids! Collaboration. Center-Based Childcare in Early Childhood and Nutritional Risk in Later Childhood: A Prospective Cohort Study. J Nutr. 2025 Dec;155(12):4530-4539. doi: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.09.028. Epub 2025 Sep 27. PMID 41022151
- Nurse KM, Parkin PC, Keown-Stoneman CDG, Bayoumi I, Birken CS, Maguire JL, Macarthur C, Borkhoff CM. Association Between Family Income and Positive Developmental Screening Using the Infant Toddler Checklist at the 18-Month Health Supervision Visit. J Pediatr. 2024 Jan;264:113769. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2023.113769. Epub 2023 Nov 1. PMID 37821023
- Palumbo AM, Kirkwood D, Borkhoff CM, Keown-Stoneman CDG, Muraca GM, Fuller A, Birken CS, Maguire JL, Brown HK, Anderson LN; TARGet Kids! Collaboration. Validation of Parent-reported Gestational Age Categories for Children Less Than 6 Years of Age. Epidemiology. 2023 Nov 1;34(6):767-773. doi: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000001645. Epub 2023 Sep 26. PMID 37757868
- Braddon KE, Keown-Stoneman CD, Dennis CL, Li X, Maguire JL, O'Connor DL, Omand JA, Simpson JR, Birken CS. Maternal Preconception Body Mass Index and Early Childhood Nutritional Risk. J Nutr. 2023 Aug;153(8):2421-2431. doi: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.06.022. Epub 2023 Jun 24. PMID 37356500
- Kucab MD, Keown-Stoneman CDG, Birken CS, Perlman M, Maguire JL; TARGet Kids! Collaboration. Centre-based childcare in early childhood and growth in later childhood: a prospective cohort study. Int J Obes (Lond). 2023 Aug;47(8):724-731. doi: 10.1038/s41366-023-01316-2. Epub 2023 Apr 27. PMID 37106078
- Omand JA, Li X, Keown-Stoneman CDG, Borkhoff CM, Duku E, Lebovic G, Maguire JL, Mamdani MM, Parkin PC, Reid-Westoby C, Randall Simpson J, Tremblay MS, Janus M, Birken CS; TARGet Kids! Study Group. Body Weight at Age Four Years and Readiness to Start School: A Prospective Cohort Study. Child Obes. 2023 Jun;19(4):267-281. doi: 10.1089/chi.2022.0018. Epub 2022 Jul 13. PMID 35834646
Identifiers
NCT: NCT01869530 · 2063