Addressing Disparities in Food Access Among Young Children in Louisiana: A Farm to ECE Approach (FarmtoECE)

Xavier University of Louisiana.

Status: Completed

Conditions: Food Insecurity; Nutrition, Healthy; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice

Treatments: Behavioral: Farm to ECE programming

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05745376

IRB881-23

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this pilot project is to increase access to healthy food, improve diets, and reduce food insecurity and, in turn, reduce health disparities among low-income, minority children under the age of five attending early childcare centers. Specific aims are to: 1) examine the feasibility of a six-month Farm to ECE intervention and 2) collect preliminary data to evaluate the efficacy of the program to 2.1) improve the ECE nutrition environment from baseline to follow-up; 2.2) increase access to local fruits and vegetables among children at ECEs from baseline to follow-up; and 2.3) increase parent knowledge and use of community food resources. The investigators will use this preliminary data to develop a larger scale project to test intervention efficacy.

Full description

The pilot study will take place at four centers within a network of Catholic Charities Early Head Start and Head Start Centers in New Orleans, Louisiana. Two centers will serve as intervention sites and two as comparison sites. Over 90% of the network centers' students identify as Black, and all qualify for federally funded free meals and snacks. The intervention will include: (1) assisting ECEs with conducting self-assessments; (2) connecting ECEs with local farmers and food producers; (3) providing technical assistance for menu changes, procuring healthy food, identifying and implementing best feeding practices and policies for the environment; (4) delivering nutrition education; and (5) connecting parents/guardians with local food resources and affordable fresh food to be consumed at home. The intervention will be implemented for 6 months.

Aim 1 uses a cross-sectional mixed methods design, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data in intervention centers. Aim 2 uses a pre-post design with a comparison group, collecting quantitative survey data at the center and parent level. At baseline and six-month follow-up, the investigators will conduct short surveys with staff and parents/caregivers of children attending ECEs.

Enrollment: 228 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 99 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria (Key informant interviews and center assessments):

• Director or staff of participating center
• 18 years of age minimum

Exclusion Criteria (Key informant interviews and center assessments):

• Staff not involved with educational programming

Inclusion Criteria (Parent/guardian surveys):

• Parent or guardian of current student at participating center
• 18 years of age minimum

Exclusion Criteria (Parent/guardian surveys):

• None

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

228 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention Center

Experimental group

Description:

The intervention will include: (1) assisting ECEs with conducting self-assessments; (2) connecting ECEs with local farmers and food producers; (3) providing technical assistance for menu changes, procuring healthy food, identifying and implementing best feeding practices and policies for the environment; (4) delivering nutrition education; and (5) connecting parents/guardians with local food resources and affordable fresh food to be consumed at home

Treatment:

Behavioral: Farm to ECE programming

Comparison

No Intervention group

Description:

No programming at center, only surveys