Using Reinforcement Schedules to Increase Fruit&Vegetable Intake, Reduce Waste, and Increase School Lunch Participation

New Mexico State University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Behavioral Changes; Nutrition; Psychology, Social

Treatments: Behavioral: Control; Behavioral: Variable (non-random) interval; Behavioral: Variable (random) interval with table tents; Behavioral: Variable (random) interval

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05633251

12335 & 12324

Details and patient eligibility

About

Using small monetary rewards to reinforce healthy behaviors, such as the consumption of fruits and vegetables (F&V), the investigators tested fixed and variable reinforcement schedules in three middle schools.

The investigators measured carotenoid levels, as a biomarker of F&V intake, and F&V waste over the intervention time frame. The investigators also tracked the school lunch participation rates over time.

Enrollment: 1,626 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 11 to 16 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• students attending three participating middle schools (Ysleta Independent School District)

Exclusion criteria

• N/A

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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1,626 participants in 3 patient groups

School 1

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Variable (non-random) interval

Behavioral: Control

School 2

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Variable (random) interval

Behavioral: Control

School 3

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Variable (random) interval

Behavioral: Variable (random) interval with table tents