The Effect of Three Different Dietary Messages on Dietary Intake and Health in Families

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Obesity

Treatments: Behavioral: Increase Fruits and Vegetables and Decrease Snack Foods; Behavioral: Increase Fruits and Vegetables; Behavioral: Decrease Snack Foods

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01510678

8721-B

Details and patient eligibility

About

Examine the effect of three different dietary messages on dietary intake and the health of parents and their children.

Full description

The goal of this pilot study is to conduct a randomized controlled trial examining three dietary messages: increase fruits and vegetables [INCREASE], decrease energy-dense, non-nutrient dense snack foods [DECREASE], or increase fruits and vegetables plus decrease snack foods [INCREASE+DECREASE], within a 6-month, family-based obesity prevention intervention. Each condition will also focus on increasing family evening meals and physical activity. Primary hypotheses are: 1) INCREASE + DECREASE will consume a greater ratio of F&Vs:SFs than INCREASE and DECREASE at 6 months.

2)INCREASE + DECREASE will consume less energy than INCREASE and DECREASE at 6 months.

Enrollment: 45 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 6 to 12 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Children between ages 6-12 years
• BMI percentile > 5th and < 85th percentile for age and sex
• Have a parent aged > 21 years with a BMI > 25
• Have an overweight/obese parent willing to attend intervention meetings
• Parent and child speak and read English
• Not moving out of the metropolitan area during the course of the investigation

Exclusion criteria

• Reporting that the child and parent planning to participate have dietary restrictions related to fruit and vegetable intake
• Physical activity restrictions
• A parent reporting that she is pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or currently breastfeeding

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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45 participants in 3 patient groups

Decrease Condition

Experimental group

Description:

In the Decrease Snack Foods condition participants will reduce intake of SFs (i.e., candy, cookies, cakes, ice cream, chips, nuts) to \< 3 servings/week (for children aged 6 to 12 years, the solid fats and added sugar energy limit is 840 kcals/week and the DECREASE goal will help with meeting this limit). Children and parents will gradually work towards meeting these goals and self-monitor these behaviors.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Decrease Snack Foods

Increase + Decrease Condition

Experimental group

Description:

Families will be encouraged to increase fruits and vegetables and decrease snack foods.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Increase Fruits and Vegetables and Decrease Snack Foods

Increase Condition

Experimental group

Description:

A parent and child will be encouraged to increase fruits and vegetables. Children will be encouraged to consume 1 cup/day and 1.5 cups/day of whole fruit, and 1.5 cups/day and 2 cups/day of vegetables for children aged 6 to 8 years and 9 to 12 years, respectively. Children will gradually work towards these goals. Parents will also work towards F\&V goals, with 2 cups/day of whole fruit and 2.5 cups/day of vegetables.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Increase Fruits and Vegetables