FRESH-EATS Project

Official title

Community-derived Multilevel-Multicomponent Nutrition Intervention to Reduce Food Access Disparities -FRESH-EATS

Overview

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to determine the feasibility of the FRESH-EATS project in children ages 8-12 and their parents/caregivers residing in low-income, predominantly minority neighborhoods. The main questions it aims to answer are: Is the FRESH-EATS intervention feasible to implement and well-received by parent-child dyads? Does the FRESH-EATS multilevel multicomponent intervention improve dietary behaviors of children and their parents/caregivers compared to the comparison group? We hypothesize that this innovative community-derived, multilevel-multicomponent intervention is feasible to implement and has the potential to improve dietary behaviors of participants (children ages 8-12 and their parents/caregivers). Researchers will compare the FRESH-EATS intervention group to the Lagged Intervention Control Group (LICG) to see if the FRESH-EATS intervention leads to better dietary behaviors and health outcomes. Participants in the FRESH-EATS intervention group will: * Attend educational sessions on healthy eating and cooking. * Participate in family workshops that address access to healthy food. * Receive food deliveries and information about local food resources. * Engage in community garden activities.

Detailed description

The FRESH-EATS project is a comprehensive intervention designed to address food access disparities and improve dietary behaviors among families in low-income neighborhoods. The intervention includes four key components. This program is tailored for school-aged children (ages 8-12) and their parents/caregivers, focusing on healthy eating as a family. Eight cohorts, each consisting of 6 families (48 families in total), will be recruited. Four cohorts (24 families) will participate in the FRESH-EATS intervention, while the other four cohorts (24 families) will be randomly assigned to the Lagged Intervention Control (LICG). The randomized controlled trial (RCT) design will compare the outcomes of the FRESH-EATS intervention group to the LICG group, with outcome evaluations conducted at both pre- and post-intervention stages.

First, it features evidence-based hands-on cooking and nutrition education using the Cooking Matters® for Families program. Additionally, the project includes family workshops aimed at addressing the lack of access to healthy foods and systemic disparities in the food environment. Throughout the intervention period, participants in the intervention group will receive food deliveries and information about local food resources such as food pantries. An updated list of local food pantries will be obtained from the local food bank. Handouts featuring different food pantries will be created and distributed to families. Intervention participants will receive community garden education that will provide fresh ingredients for participants to use during cooking lessons. The lead community organization has a community garden with 12 garden beds, which is active year-round in Florida. Season-specific garden education and activities will be integrated into the nutrition lessons, further supporting the project's goals of improving dietary behaviors and addressing food access disparities.

Interventions

• Behavioral FRESH-EATS
  1. Six weekly Cooking Matters® for Families sessions. Each session is designed to take 90 minutes including hands-on cooking or other activities. 2. Two 90-minute family workshop sessions will be implemented. 3. Food delivery budget (i.e., the Walmart+ annual membership with free shipping and gift cards to purchase ingredients) will be provided up during the intervention period and local food pantry information will be distributed to families. 4. Community garden at the Cornerstone Family Minist
• Behavioral Lagged Intervention Control Group
  Nutrition education materials that address nutrition in school-age children and families Cooking Matters® for Families will be implemented. Each of six sessions will take about 90 minutes. All lessons will be delivered by qualified nutrition educators along with student assistants at the Cornerstone Family Ministries classrooms. After completing the post-intervention assessment, participants will then receive the other FRESH-EATS intervention components.

Primary outcome measures

• Parent dietary behaviors [Time frame: At baseline (T1) and post-intervention (T2) approximately 6-8 weeks from baseline.]
• Children's dietary behaviors [Time frame: At baseline (T1) and post-intervention (T2) approximately 6-8 weeks from baseline.]

Secondary outcome measures (7)

• Anthropometrics: height, weight, waist/hip circumferences [Time frame: At baseline (T1) and post-intervention (T2) approximately 6-8 weeks from baseline.]
• Social Connectedness Scale [Time frame: At baseline (T1) and post-intervention (T2) approximately 6-8 weeks from baseline.]
• Resilience [Time frame: At baseline (T1) and post-intervention (T2) approximately 6-8 weeks from baseline.]
• Childhood Experiences Survey [Time frame: At baseline (T1)]
• Philadelphia Community- Level Adversity scale [Time frame: At baseline (T1)]
• Perceived Food Access [Time frame: At baseline (T1)]
• Blood Pressure [Time frame: At baseline (T1) and post-intervention (T2) approximately 6-8 weeks from baseline.]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• English Speaking
• Parents/caregivers that are 18 years or older
• Residents of targeted neighborhood
• Have a child aged 8-12 years old

Exclusion criteria

• Parents/caregivers or children who have participated in a similar intervention within the past 6 months
• Do not speak English

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

Double blind

Primary purpose

Prevention

Study locations

United States · 1 center

• University of South Florida — Tampa

Publications

• Gray HL, Berumen JH, Lovett SM, Himmelgreen D, Biswas D, Bohn J, Peacock C, Buro AW. A Mixed-methods Study to Understand Food Environments and Grocery Shopping Patterns of Community Residents in Underserved Neighborhoods in Tampa, Florida. Ecol Food Nutr. 2021 Jul-Aug;60(4):435-453. doi: 10.1080/03670244.2020.1862098. Epub 2020 Dec 23. PMID 33356564
• Hernandez DC, Reesor LM, Murillo R. Food insecurity and adult overweight/obesity: Gender and race/ethnic disparities. Appetite. 2017 Oct 1;117:373-378. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.07.010. Epub 2017 Jul 22. PMID 28739148
• Reedy J, Krebs-Smith SM. Dietary sources of energy, solid fats, and added sugars among children and adolescents in the United States. J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Oct;110(10):1477-84. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2010.07.010. PMID 20869486
• Ghosh-Dastidar M, Hunter G, Collins RL, Zenk SN, Cummins S, Beckman R, Nugroho AK, Sloan JC, Wagner L, Dubowitz T. Does opening a supermarket in a food desert change the food environment? Health Place. 2017 Jul;46:249-256. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2017.06.002. Epub 2017 Jun 22. PMID 28648926
• Chen D, Jaenicke EC, Volpe RJ. Food Environments and Obesity: Household Diet Expenditure Versus Food Deserts. Am J Public Health. 2016 May;106(5):881-8. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303048. Epub 2016 Mar 17. PMID 26985622
• Brown AG, Hudson LB, Chui K, Metayer N, Lebron-Torres N, Seguin RA, Folta SC. Improving heart health among Black/African American women using civic engagement: a pilot study. BMC Public Health. 2017 Jan 24;17(1):112. doi: 10.1186/s12889-016-3964-2. PMID 28118823
• Sankofa J, Johnson-Taylor WL. News coverage of diet-related health disparities experienced by black Americans: a steady diet of misinformation. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2007 Mar-Apr;39(2 Suppl):S41-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2006.08.014. PMID 17336804
• Larson NI, Story MT, Nelson MC. Neighborhood environments: disparities in access to healthy foods in the U.S. Am J Prev Med. 2009 Jan;36(1):74-81. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2008.09.025. Epub 2008 Nov 1. PMID 18977112

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07053644 · STUDY007833 · R21MD019963

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗