Increasing Food Literacy in Preschoolers to Reduce Obesity Risk

The Pennsylvania State University (PENNSTATE)

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Eating, Healthy; Food Selection; Obesity, Childhood; Food Preferences

Treatments: Behavioral: Healthy Eating Curriculum; Behavioral: ECE Food Acceptance Training; Behavioral: Parent Education; Behavioral: Improving the Classroom Food and Mealtime Environment

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05977348

OSP#233045

2023-68015-39416 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The goal of this clinical trial is to examine the effects of a nutrition education program on preschool children's food literacy and food acceptance, and to examine the added influence of a healthy eating curriculum and parent education on children's food knowledge and healthful food choices. The project will be evaluated with 450 children ages 3 to 5 years in center-based childcare programs serving predominantly Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-eligible families in Pennsylvania. Outcomes for children who receive the added healthy eating curriculum will be compared to children in classrooms that only receive the nutrition education program.

Full description

Repeatedly exposing young children to new foods can increase their willingness to try those foods, and they may - with time - learn to like those foods. Being able to learn about, touch and taste new foods can be a powerful tool to foster young children's liking of new foods. This project's goals are to test whether a preschool nutrition education program can improve (1) children's ability to name and identify fruits and vegetables, (2) children's knowledge about food and nutrition, (3) children's healthful food choices during a meal, and (4) parenting around children's eating. Participants will include 450 children ages 3 to 5 years in center-based childcare programs serving a large majority of families experiencing poverty in Pennsylvania. In all classrooms, children will receive food literacy lessons designed to help them learn about different fruits and vegetables, where they grow, and why they are good for our bodies. Children in intervention classrooms will receive food literacy lessons, in addition to lessons on healthy eating designed to improve children's nutrition knowledge. Teachers in intervention classrooms will be provided with materials designed to increase children's knowledge about nutrition and healthy eating. Intervention parents will receive web-based lessons designed to improve parenting practices related to children's eating behaviors. The study will be conducted over a 14-month period, and a variety of child, teacher, classroom and parent outcomes will be measured before, during and after the intervention. The results of this study are anticipated to add new information on ways to improve children's nutrition knowledge and acceptance of fruits and vegetables.

Enrollment: 770 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 3 to 6 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Preschool children enrolled in participating centers

Exclusion criteria

• Severe food allergies that prevent children from consuming project foods
• Presence of a developmental or sensory disability that affects food intake and/or learning
• Lack of English fluency (children and caregivers)
• Children not regularly present during days/times that intervention lessons are delivered
• Parents who are not involved in feeding/preparing meals for children at least 50% of the time

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

---

770 participants in 2 patient groups

Healthy Bodies Project Comparison (HBP)

No Intervention group

Description:

All classrooms will receive the Eating the Alphabet curriculum, which includes 27 lessons that introduce children to a new fruit or vegetable from A-Z each week. Parents in comparison and intervention classrooms will receive access to web-based parent resources related to the Eating the Alphabet curriculum (e.g., food of the week fact sheets with recipes and suggestions for use, and coloring pages).

Healthy Bodies Project Plus (HBP+)

Experimental group

Description:

Intervention classrooms will receive the Eating the Alphabet curriculum described above for comparison classrooms, in addition to (1) the Healthy Eating curriculum, (2) classroom materials and teacher training designed to improve the classroom food and mealtime environment in ways that increase food acceptance, and (3) parent/caregiver education on responsive food parenting.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Improving the Classroom Food and Mealtime Environment

Behavioral: ECE Food Acceptance Training

Behavioral: Parent Education

Behavioral: Healthy Eating Curriculum