Increasing Food Literacy in Preschoolers to Reduce Obesity Risk
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
- The protocol lists: Healthy Eating Curriculum, Improving the Classroom Food and Mealtime Environment, Parent Education, ECE Food Acceptance Training.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Food Preferences, Food Selection, Eating, Healthy, Obesity, Childhood. Basic parameters: 3 years — 6 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
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Increasing Food Literacy as a Means of Increasing Preschool Children's Food Acceptance and Reducing Obesity Risk
Overview
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.
Detailed 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.
Interventions
- Behavioral Healthy Eating Curriculum
The Healthy Eating (HE) curriculum is designed to provide children with skills needed to develop healthy eating habits. Each lesson builds upon the overall goal of creating a healthy restaurant. Children are taught to identify differences between GO and WHOA foods, recognize the five food groups, and learn to make healthy food choices. - Behavioral Improving the Classroom Food and Mealtime Environment
HBP+ Classrooms will receive additional sensory activities for each lesson (e.g., posters, food models, games) designed to improve the classroom food environment and provide repeated exposure to activities and messages about fruits and vegetables. Teachers in HBP+ classrooms will be provided with additional training on strategies shown to increase food acceptance in preschool children (e.g., modeling, encouraging children to try foods without coercion). In addition, HBP+ classrooms will include - Behavioral Parent Education
Parents in intervention classrooms will be given access to 8 web-based lessons on food parenting and responsive parenting. Topics include: establishing mealtime routines, shopping healthy on a budget; modeling of healthy eating behaviors; addressing picky eating in children; structuring low-stress mealtime environments; the division of responsibility in feeding, and portion control. - Behavioral ECE Food Acceptance Training
HBP+ early childhood educators (ECEs) will be asked to complete an online, self-paced course on increasing food acceptance in preschool children. Topics will include: repeated exposure to foods; modeling of healthy eating behaviors; addressing picky eating in children; structuring low-stress mealtime environments; and the division of responsibility in feeding.
Primary outcome measures
- Children's Food Acceptance [Time frame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)]
- Children's willingness to try novel foods [Time frame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)]
- Children's Food Literacy [Time frame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)]
- Children's Food Knowledge [Time frame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)]
- Children's Food Choices [Time frame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)]
Secondary outcome measures (1)
- Child Weight Status/Adiposity [Time frame: Change from baseline to post-intervention (~6 months)]
Eligibility criteria
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
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
Study locations
United States · 1 center
- The Pennsylvania State University — University Park
Identifiers
NCT: NCT05977348 · OSP#233045 · 2023-68015-39416